HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested for offences related to alcohol abuse in  (a) Romford,  (b) Greater London and  (c) Essex in 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not held centrally. The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group, for example violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, etc. However, from these data we are not able to identify specific offences related to alcohol.

Antisocial Behaviour

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made on the Government's target of reducing antisocial behaviour.

Vernon Coaker: In 2002-03, 21 per cent. of people responding to the British Crime Survey perceived high levels of antisocial behaviour (ASB) compared with 17 per cent. in the year up to September 2007. The Local Government User Satisfaction Survey which asked similar questions to the British Crime Survey in 2003-04 and again in 2006-07 showed a reduction in perception in 94 per cent. of areas. This reduction in perception has contributed to the Home Office meeting its PSA target on confidence and reassurance for 2005-08.
	The Home Office's twin track approach of enforcement and support has been shown to be effective by the National Audit Office's 2006 report on antisocial Behaviour. The report concluded that the majority of people who received an ASB intervention did not re-engage in ASB.

Antisocial Behaviour: Young People

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to tackle antisocial behaviour amongst young people.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has always maintained that antisocial behaviour is not specifically a 'youth' issuethe vast majority of young people behave well and make a positive contribution to society.
	There is a range of tools and powers that have been in place for some time which can be employed when young people engage in crime and antisocial behaviour. Warning letters, acceptable behaviour contracts and individual support orders alongside antisocial behaviour orders specifically tackle behaviour, while parenting orders and contracts prevent problems in their child's behaviour and steer them away from becoming involved in antisocial and offending behaviour.
	The Government are putting even greater emphasis on ensuring that when young people engage in antisocial behaviour they receive the right balance of support, challenge and positive activities to help them change their behaviour and fulfil their potential, contribute to communities and avoid getting into further trouble. As part of this the work, the Youth Task Force will support the delivery of these services. This will be set out in the 'Youth Task Force Action Plan' to be published in March.
	We are also developing a renewed cross-Government approach to youth crime with the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice. This work will result in a 'Youth Crime Action Plan' to deliver results across youth crime prevention, youth justice as well as cross-cutting themes on youth victimisation and serious youth violence.

Boyhood to Manhood Foundation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to provide support for the From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation in order to prevent its closure.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is in regular contact with the From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation. Together with other parts of Government, we are working closely with the Foundation to resolve their present difficulties and strengthen their business and management capacity. We have agreed to provide funding to enable the organisation's day centre to remain open in the immediate future and will continue discussions on what support might be available in the longer term.

Corruption

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was repatriated as a result of corruption investigations in the UK in each of the last five years for which there are records.

Vernon Coaker: There is no centrally held register at the Home Office. However, I am aware of two cases; one resulted in 3 million being repatriated in 2003 and another in which 1 million was returned in 2006.

Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to implement the remaining provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: There are two unimplemented sections of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004:
	Section 9Statutory Domestic Homicide Reviews
	Section 12Enabling courts to impose restraining orders on those convicted of any offence, and also on those who are acquitted for any offence.
	The Home Office is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Justice to agree the estimated impact on local services of implementing these provisions. We will be implementing these measures when resources allow.

Driving: Mobile Phones

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to reduce the numbers of drivers using mobile telephones when driving in the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 19 February 2008
	From 1 December 2003 using a hand-held mobile phone while driving became a specific, non-endorsable, fixed-penalty offence. The fixed penalty was 30. If the case went to court, the maximum fine was 1,000. The Road Safety Act 2006, with effect from 27 February 2007, made the offence endorsable, with three penalty points and a 60 fixed penalty.
	The latest figures, for 2005, show that the police took enforcement action against 129,700 drivers for the specific offence of driving while using a hand-held mobile phone. This is a 72 per cent. increase on the 2004 figure.
	The Department for Transport (DfT) has publicised the offence since its introduction, to emphasise that it is dangerous and that offenders will be punished. DfT plan to spend some 1.5 million in 2007-08 on television, radio and cinema advertising. The current campaign started on 1 February. In addition DfT provides printed materials to local authority road safety officers who mount their own campaigns .

Drugs: Misuse

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the street price of  (a) heroin and  (b) cocaine was in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  UK Average Drug Prices 1997-2007 
			   
			  As at December:  Cocaine (per gram)  Heroin (per gram) 
			 1997 71 74 
			 1998 77 74 
			 1999 75 65 
			 2000 65 70 
			 2001 60 63 
			 2002 56 61 
			 2003 55 62 
			 2004 51 55 
			 2005 49 54 
			 2006 49 50-55 
			 2007 45 40-50

Firearms

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many weapons seized  (a) in England and Wales,  (b) in the north-east and  (c) in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland were reactivated firearms in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what percentage of recovered sub-machine guns were reactivated firearms in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on 7 January 2008,  Official Report, column 271W.

Genetics: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples are on the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: 'DNA samples' refer to biological material, either taken from individuals, or from traces left at crime scenes. These samples are analysed to produce code numbers, known as profiles, which are stored on the national DNA database (NDNAD). On 21 January 2008, the NDNAD held 319,677 profiles from crime scenes, and profiles relating to 4,290,925 individuals, loaded by all United Kingdom police forces.

Genetics: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what percentage of DNA samples on the DNA database are from people who have not been convicted of any crimes;
	(2)  how many people who have never been convicted of a crime have a sample of their DNA on the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: I refer my right hon. Friend to my answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 761W.

Genetics: Databases

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long the Government retain the DNA records of individuals who are not found guilty of committing an offence.

Meg Hillier: Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984, the police have the power to take and retain DNA from anyone arrested for a recordable offence and detained in a police station.
	PACE does not set a limit on retention. Instead, the police follow retention guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which state that records will normally be retained for 100 years from the person's date of birth, regardless of whether they are still alive.
	ACPO also issued guidance to chief officers on the consideration of applications for removal at the end of January 2006. The ACPO guidelines envisage that DNA which has been taken lawfully will be removed only in exceptional cases, though discretion remains with the chief officer. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham), made a written ministerial statement announcing the issue of these ACPO guidelines, on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 117WS.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will add policing of trafficking of human beings as core police business included in performance indicators.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 7 January 2008
	Human trafficking is core police business and all forces should now have the capacity to deal with trafficking problems in their area. We are currently working to develop performance measures on organised crime including human trafficking to be included in the new Assessments of Policing and Community Safety (APACS) system.
	We are intending to introduce in APACS starting on 1 April 2008 a key diagnostic indicator which requires forces to measure the number of organised crime groups in their areas which have been disrupted, including human trafficking groups.

Identity Cards: Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on external consultants for work relating to the identity cards programme.

Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Member to the response to his previous question, on 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 812W.

National Identity Database

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the likely error rate in the national identity database.

Meg Hillier: Until the national identity register is launched it is not possible to make an accurate prediction of the likelihood of an error occurring within the database.
	The system will be fully security accredited before it can commence operation and its operation will be overseen by both the Information Commissioner and the national identity scheme commissioner to ensure that the integrity of the scheme is maintained.

Police: Surveillance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department  (a) has issued and  (b) plans to issue to the police on the use of photographs taken by surveillance cameras to (i) detect and (ii) prosecute those observed committing an offence under (A) section 14 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and (B) the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2003; what recent representations she has received on the issue; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Enforcement of these offences is an operational matter for the police. The Home Office has issued no guidance on the use of photographs taken by surveillance cameras to detect those committing the offences and there are no plans to issue such guidance.
	For certain motoring offences, the law specifically provides that evidence from a camera or other device is admissible in court if the device is of a type approved by the Secretary of State. For other motoring offences, including these, there is no such provision. Within the normal constraints of the law including on data protection and human rights it is for the police to decide on the evidence they need to put forward for a case to be considered for prosecution and how to obtain it.
	The Home Office has had one recent representation on the issue, from a member of the public.

WALES

Bus Services: Concessions

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on mutual recognition for pensioners from Wales and from England in concessionary bus travel schemes on both sides of the border.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues affecting Wales.
	There is provision within the current legislation for mutual recognition for concessionary bus travel. It will require secondary legislation to be put in place and at present the focus of the Concessionary Bus Travel Act (2007) is to ensure a successful introduction of the new England-wide concession when it comes into force on 1 April 2008.
	Under the Act individual local authorities will be able to come to agreements with bus companies offering a cross border service to allow their residents to use their passes to travel between England and Wales.

Departmental Stationery

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on stationery in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: Stationery is supplied under a general office supplies contract, and its cost within the total is not identified separately.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what average hourly rate his Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Paul Murphy: The average hourly rates paid for agency staff each year is as follows:
	
		
			   Adecco  Acorn  Kelly 
			 1999 9.30 n/a n/a 
			 2000 9.80 n/a n/a 
			 2001 9.80 n/a n/a 
			 2002 10.29 8.81 n/a 
			 2003 10.80 8.81 n/a 
			 2004 12.07 10.35 11.28 
			 2006 n/a 9.73 11.28 
			 2006 n/a 9.18 11.28 
			 2007 n/a 9.18 n/a

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what documents his Department translates into languages other than Welsh for people in the UK who do not speak English.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on translation services other than for translations into Welsh by his Department in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06,  (d) 2006-07 and  (e) to date in 2007-08.

Paul Murphy: Nil.

Departmental Travel

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many journeys his Department's  (a) Ministers and  (b) civil servants made between London and Northern Ireland on official business in each month since May 2007.

Paul Murphy: My predecessor made one trip to Northern Ireland in his capacity as Secretary of State for Wales and was accompanied by one official.

Electricity

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on electricity in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has spent the following amounts on electricity bills:
	
		
			
			 2002-03 14,440.37 
			 2003-04 9,180.72 
			 2004-05 4,368.05 
			 2005-06 4,132.43 
			 2006-07 5,054.06

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Balkans: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political and security situation in the Balkans.

Jim Murphy: On 17 February the Kosovo Assembly passed a resolution declaring Kosovo to be independent. On 18 February my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary announced that the UK recognised Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state and would establish diplomatic relations in accordance with the Vienna Convention.
	On 18 February the European General Affairs and External Relations Council called on Belgrade and Pristina to respect previous commitments to refrain from any activities or statements which might endanger the security situation. At a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) also reaffirmed that Kosovo Force (KFOR) will continue to ensure a safe and secure environment.
	Since the Kosovo declaration of independence, there have been demonstrations in Belgrade and amongst the Serb communities in Kosovo. There was some damage to property caused by demonstrators outside the US and Slovenian embassies in Belgrade. There have been small explosions near the EU offices in North Mitrovica. There are no reported casualties.
	The UK remains fully committed to safeguarding the region's security and contributes to KFOR, and the EU forces in Bosnia. We remain ready to fulfil our obligations to NATO's pan-Balkans Operational Reserve Force (ORF), and we stand ready to send the UK ORF battalion, currently at highest readiness, if requested by the NATO Commander. The UK will also contribute approximately 80 personnel to the European Security and Defence Policy Police and Rule of Law mission currently deploying to Kosovo and the International Civilian Office overseeing settlement implementation.
	We will continue to work intensively with our EU and NATO partners to deliver peaceful progress towards Euro and Euro-Atlantic integration for the whole Balkan region.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provisions of the Bill of Rights 1689 apply to the United Kingdom's overseas territories; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Bill of Rights 1688 (not 1689) is a UK Act of Parliament, which is not specifically stated to extend to the overseas territories. However, it is clear that the provisions relating to the succession of the Crown, in addition to England, France and Ireland, apply to the dominions, which include all territories under the sovereignty of the Crown.

Burma: Politics and Government

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department plans to make to Burmese authorities on the inclusion of opposition parties and ethnic minorities in the process of drafting a new Burmese constitution planned for May 2008.

Meg Munn: The Government have consistently called on the Burmese authorities to include opposition parties and ethnic representatives in the process of drafting a new Burmese constitution.
	The regime's call for a referendum in May 2008, and elections in 2010, was made without consulting the opposition and ethnic representatives. For the process and any timeline to have credibility and for it to lead to genuine national reconciliation, it must include all political and ethnic groups.
	On 12 February, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated our demand that the Burmese regime immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi so that she can participate fully in the drafting of a new constitution. He also called for the immediate return of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Burma, Professor Gambari, to the country to help facilitate the process of inclusive decision making and political transition. We shall continue to press the regime to recognise the need for an inclusive and transparent process. For the road map to lead to a stable, sustainable and peaceful democracy, all interested parties must have faith in its mechanisms.

Departmental Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the  (a) special advisers and  (b) Ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election.

Meg Munn: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to Government buildings for security reasons.

Equatorial Guinea: Prisoners

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received of the imprisonment and treatment of Simon Mann; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Simon Mann is currently detained in Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea. Our deputy high commission in Lagos provides consular assistance to British nationals in Equatorial Guinea. Our consul in Lagos travelled to Malabo and visited Mr. Mann in prison on 12 February 2008 when his welfare was discussed. We have made clear to the Equatorial Guinean authorities that we expect Mr. Mann to be treated in line with international standards.
	We have received assurances from the Equatorial Guinean authorities that Mr. Mann will be treated well while in detention.

Equatorial Guinea: Prisoners

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings officials in his Department have held on the case of Simon Mann; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of Mr. Mann's case and providing consular assistance to him. Officials have met with representatives from the Equatorial Guinean authorities in London and Malabo to discuss the case.

European Council: European Commission

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the proposed relationship between the President of the European Council and officials of the European Commission.

Jim Murphy: Heads of State and Government, supported by Foreign Ministers, reached agreement on all the key institutional issues in the Lisbon treaty, including the role of full-time President of the European Council, at the 2007 June European Council.
	The treaty makes clear that the President of the European Council
	shall ensure the preparation and continuity of the work of the European Council in co-operation with the President of the Commission, and on the basis of the work of the General Affairs Council.
	The Commission President provides political guidance for the Commissioners and is the Commission's principal representative in dealings with other EU institutions and with external bodies. Significant decisions by the Commission are taken collectively by the College of Commissioners.

European External Action Service

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the European External Action Service will have overseas posts; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The treaty of Lisbon provides for a European External Action Service (EEAS), whose role will be to support the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
	The European Commission currently has a network of over 120 delegations in third countries and international organisations. Under the Lisbon treaty, these will be placed under the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The High Representative will be accountable to the member states of the Council.

Nuclear Disarmament

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1354W, on nuclear disarmament, what the specific parameters are of the independent International Institute of Strategic Studies in-depth study to help determine the requirements for the eventual elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded a workshop in November 2007 on the technical challenges of complete nuclear disarmament. The study itself, however, is independent and the scope and parameters are therefore for the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) to decide. The hon. Member may wish to refer to the IISS for any further information.

Pakistan: Press Freedom

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the level of restrictions on the press in Pakistan expected in relation to the general election of 18 February 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I called on the Government of Pakistan to ensure that all media outlets were free to cover all aspects of the elections process so that voters could make an informed choice. Media freedom in Pakistan is approaching levels similar to those before imposition of the State of Emergency in November 2007, although the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ordinances and the new code of conduct remain in force. All private media broadcasters are back on air. We continue to monitor the situation closely, including through the EU Election Observer Mission, which will be reporting on the conduct of the elections.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will provide financial and technical assistance to countries with available helicopters and related materials and personnel to assist with full deployment of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur.

Meg Munn: We will consider assisting countries that may provide helicopters and other capabilities to the UN-African Union hybrid force in Darfur. We would discuss this on a case-by-case basis directly with the country concerned and in co-ordination with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other potential donors.

Sudan: Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the delay in the full implementation of the UNAMID mission to Darfur on  (a) the security of and  (b) the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the region.

Meg Munn: Planning for the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) envisaged full deployment by mid-2008. Delays generating and deploying the mission, as well as obstacles in Sudan, have restricted UNAMID's capabilities. We are pressing the Government of Sudan and rebel groups to allow UNAMID full access and freedom of movement to improve security for humanitarian relief. UNAMID is starting to improve security with renewed firewood and other patrols.
	UNAMID's deployment to Darfur is one of the most complex and logistically difficult that the UN has ever undertaken. We are working closely with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the African Union to achieve full deployment as soon as practicable.

Sudan: Sanctions

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the implementation of further targeted sanctions against the Sudanese Government by the  (a) European Union,  (b) United Nations Security Council and  (c) UK.

Meg Munn: We will pursue further targeted sanctions against any party, including the Government of Sudan, rebels and militia, that undermines resolution of the crisis in Darfur.
	We believe that UN sanctions are more effective than EU or UK measures. The prospect of further UN sanctions, as advocated by the UK, combined with persuasion by the UN Secretary-General and others, played a part in the Government of Sudan agreeing to the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur in 2007. Currently, the UN Security Council is not actively considering sanctions but rather is focused on securing successful implementation of resolution 1769 on Darfur. But we continue to advocate in the Council that we must combine pressure and persuasion on all parties to make rapid progress in resolving the crisis. We are also making this point bilaterally, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister did with Chinese Premier Wen in January.

Tristan da Cunha: Fires

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent fire at the fish-processing factory on Tristan da Cunha; what steps he has taken to relieve hardship and protect the islanders' economy; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I can confirm that a fire destroyed Tristan da Cunha's fish-processing factory on 13 February 2008. The generators that provided the island's power were also destroyed. The cause of the fire has not been identified. Power is now being supplied from a back-up generator, until a new generator can be delivered to the island in March 2008. The hospital has 24 hour power.
	Tristan da Cunha's financial self-sufficiency depends on revenue from its fishing industry. Tristan's fishing season is ending so the immediate impact on the island's economy is minimal. But the island's Administrator is working with Ovenstone, the company that runs the lobster fishing concession, supplies the island's electricity and owns the factory, to minimise the economic impact of the fire. The main concern is to maintain the revenue that the industry generates for the island and to minimise potential loss of earnings for those employed in the sector. Ovenstone are preparing contingency plans for the next fishing season, which begins in July 2008. Ovenstone has insurance cover in the event of fire and is already making plans to replace the island's power plant and build a new lobster-processing factory.
	In addition, the Department for International Development has recently commissioned a review of options for Tristan to diversify its economy and increase its revenue.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental ICT

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many  (a) male and  (b) female members of staff in the Government Equalities Office were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I have been asked to reply.
	Neither the Government Equalities Office nor its predecessor the Women and Equality Unit have provided any departmental personal digital assistant (PDA) equipment for its members of staff since 2001.

Departmental Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff work in her Office's parliamentary branch; and what proportion of their time is spent on dealing with  (a) parliamentary questions and  (b) correspondence from hon. Members and Peers.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office does not have a parliamentary branch. It is currently supported in this function by the Department of Work and Pensions. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling (Mrs. McGuire) on 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1229W, which provides full details about the parliamentary branch in DWP. The Parliamentary Branch does not deal with correspondence from Members or Peers.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many overseas visits have been made by staff of the Government Equalities Office since it was established; which countries were visited; and what the cost was of the visits.

Barbara Follett: Since the Government Equalities Offices was established on 26 July 2007, a total of six overseas visits have been made by official staff. The countries visited were Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden and Slovenia. The total cost of travel and of expenses claimed to date for these visits was 2,479.13.

Domestic Violence

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to increase funding for organisations supporting those affected by domestic violence;
	(2)  what steps the Government have taken to provide support to those affected by domestic violence.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 18 February 2008
	The Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence, on which I sit, monitors action on the National Domestic Violence Plan, which includes the delivery of support to victims and their families.
	A lot has been done to increase the support available for families affected by domestic violence:
	Last year, the Home Office allocated just under 6 million to tackle domestic violence including 2 million to support and improve local delivery on domestic violence for victims and their children. It also funded improved public protection arrangements for domestic violence victims and a matrix of help lines to provide advice and support to victims and their families.
	The Ministry of Justice allocated 3 million for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers whose aim is the safety and support of victims and their children. This is in addition to annual court business costs.
	The Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme aims to improve the welfare of all children by putting in place arrangements for earlier and more effective assessment and intervention for vulnerable children, such as those affected by domestic violence.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has developed a range of accommodation options for victims including Sanctuary Scheme guidance, and 61 million of Supporting People funds were used by local authorities in 2006-07 to provide housing related support for victims of domestic violence and their families. Guidance for Jobcentre Plus staff provides advice about domestic violence and its potential impact on victims, explains the sorts of support they may need and provides advice on taking account of their particular circumstances when dealing with a benefit application. The guidance also has contact details of a range of organisations which provide advice and support to domestic violence victims.
	Financial support in respect of children, such as child benefit and child tax credits, is paid to the person who is responsible for those children and is often already paid directly to mothers. Where there is any family breakdown, the benefits will, where necessary, normally be transferred to the person with whom the children are living.
	Domestic violence tears apart families and always affects children. The Government recognise the strong links between child protection concerns and domestic violence. Victims leaving a violent relationship will often need a range of financial and practical support for themselves and their children. The Inter-departmental Ministerial Group will continue to monitor this aspect of delivery.

Females

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what meetings  (a) she and  (b) the Deputy Minister for Women has had with ministerial colleagues on women's issues in each of the last six months.

Barbara Follett: Both I and the deputy Minister for Women and Equality have had meetings with ministerial colleagues on a range of women's issues. Discussions are ongoing.

Human Trafficking: EC Action

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when the Government intend to ratify the Council of Europe convention against trafficking in human beings.

Barbara Follett: This Government are determined to prioritise efforts to tackle this horrific crime. That is why we intend to ratify the convention before the end of this year, subject to achieving necessary changes to domestic legislation in all parts of the UK.

OLYMPICS

Humanitarian Aid

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many staff are employed on domestic humanitarian assistance; and what the total cost was of employing such staff in each of the last three years.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 20 February 2008
	The Humanitarian Assistance Unit currently has six staff. It also has a number of volunteers from elsewhere in the Department who support its work. The total staff costs for the Humanitarian Assistance Unit is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005-06 (not a full year) 113,000 
			 2006-07 294,000 
			 2007-08 (to date) 232,000

Humanitarian Aid

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what  (a) domestic and  (b) international incidents she has dealt with as lead Minister for domestic humanitarian assistance.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 20 February 2008
	The Humanitarian Assistance Unit was formally established in 2005 after the London bombings. Since then it has been involved in supporting those affected by the following incidents:
	 2005
	 Domestic
	London bombings
	Failed London bombings
	Stockwell tube shooting
	 International
	Terrorist attacks in:
	Kusadasi, Turkey;
	Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt;
	Bali
	 2006
	 International
	The Bahrain Dhow disaster;
	Shooting incident in Jordan;
	Terrorist attacks in:
	Dahab, Egypt;
	Marmaris, Turkey;
	Hat Yai, Thailand;
	Bangkok, Thailand
	Prior to the establishment of the unit in 2005, I as then Secretary of State and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport was involved with providing humanitarian assistance following the following incidents:
	
		
			   Incident 
			 2001 9/11, USA 
			 2002 Bali bombings 
			 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Olympic Games 2012: Advertising

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much was spent on advertising relating to  (a) bidding for and  (b) hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 in each relevant year; and what percentage of the Government's budget in relation to the 2012 Olympic Games was spent on advertising.

Tessa Jowell: The Bid Company obtained all of its promotional advertising from value-in-kind sponsorship and that there was no additional expenditure in this area.
	As a part of LOCOG's responsibility for staging the games, they have assumed the Bid Company's previous role in undertaking all promotional advertising activity for the games. LOCOG is registered as a private company and its budget of 2 billion, which includes any advertising costs, will be almost entirely met from private sources. To release details of current advertising expenditure would be likely to prejudice ongoing commercial negotiations between LOCOG and its suppliers. However, as a private company, LOCOG submits a record of its accounts to Companies House on an annual basis. These are publicly available.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Ministers: Redundancy Pay

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Ministers received a severance payment on leaving office in each year for which figures are available, broken down by government department; and what the cost of those payments was in each year.

Tom Watson: Information on Ministers leaving office is a matter of public record. Under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, severance pay of three months salary is payable to recipients of salaries on leaving office.
	Information on ministerial salaries is available in the Library of the House.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will answer question 178710 on ministerial salaries, tabled by the hon. Member for Taunton on 24 January 2008.

Tom Watson: Question 178710 was answered on 19 February 2008.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many violent sectarian incidents were reported in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Paul Goggins: PSNI has only recorded these statistics since 2005. In 2005-06 there were 700 recorded violent crimes with a sectarian motivation compared to 542 in 2006-07.
	This is a marked and welcome reduction in what are mindless and despicable crimes which have no place in today's Northern Ireland society. There is a level of co-operation developing across Northern Ireland by the public with the police, which is dramatically different from what we've seen in the past.

Historical Inquiries Team: Finance

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget of the historical inquiries team investigating in Northern Ireland is in 2007-08.

Paul Goggins: The total HET project budget for 2007-08 is 8.5 million. The budget is split between HET PSNI, Office of the Police Ombudsman NI, Public Prosecution Service and Forensic Science NI.

Homicide

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many unsolved murders there have been in Northern Ireland over the last 30 years.  [Official Report, 8 October 2008, Vol. 480, c. 1MC.]

Paul Goggins: The PSNI has advised that for the period 1970 to 2004 the number of cases of murder which remain open and under investigation is 3,951.

Life Expectancy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what life expectancy is in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The latest figures published by the Office of National Statistics, based on the interim life tables for 2004 to 2006, show life expectancy in Northern Ireland as set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Years 
			   Males  Females 
			 At birth 76.1 81.0 
			 At age 65 16.6 19.5

Personation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle identity fraud in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The Police Service of Northern Ireland, through the Organised Crime Task Force, lead on tackling the various forms of identity fraud in Northern Ireland. There is close co-operation with colleagues across the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland to tackle this problem.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Driving Offences

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many serving police officers within the Police Service of Northern Ireland have committed driving offences within the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: Within the last 12 months 43 serving police officers were detected for motoring offences. The offences include:
	Excess speed;
	Excess alcohol;
	Careless driving;
	Road traffic collisions, where as yet no offence has been identified.

Unemployment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the level of unemployment was in Northern Ireland in each of the last eight years.

Shaun Woodward: Following the restoration of devolution on 8 May 2007 Northern Ireland Ministers became responsible for the running of the Northern Ireland Departments. The information requested is set out in the following table which has been provided by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland (DETI).
	Unemployment estimates are sourced to the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey and the latest estimates relate to the period October to December 2007. DETI advise that annual estimates are not available for the full period requested, so estimates for the last quarter of each year have been provided for comparison purposes.
	
		
			  Unemployment in Northern Ireland, final quarter, 2000 to 2007 
			  Period  (October to December each year)  Unemployment level  Unemployment rate (percentage) 
			 2007 34,000 4.2 
			 2006 34,000 4.2 
			 2005 35,000 4.5 
			 2004 36,000 4.6 
			 2003 48,000 6.2 
			 2002 43,000 5.5 
			 2001 44,000 5.9 
			 2000 45,000 6.1

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Fireworks Act 2003

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to monitor the effectiveness of the Fireworks Act 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Fireworks Act 2003 and other related legislation is kept under review. In particular the effectiveness of the legislation will be examined during the implementation of the European Directive on the placing on the market of pyrotechnic articles, which must be implemented by 10 January 2010.

Fireworks: Noise

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints about firework noise have been received by his Department; and what statistics his Department has collected on complaints regarding firework noise received by other public bodies in each month from 1 January 2003 to 31st December 2007.

Gareth Thomas: Complaints about noise from fireworks are not collected and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Industrial Disputes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government has taken to provide greater accessibility of employment dispute resolution procedures since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: In December 2006, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced an independent review of Government support for resolving disputes in the workplace which considered the options for simplifying and improving all aspects of employment dispute resolution. The review concluded in March 2007 and recommended complete repeal of the statutory dispute resolution procedures. The Government sought views on the way forward through its March 2007 consultation 'Resolving disputes in the workplace'.
	The Government laid the Employment Bill before Parliament in December 2007 to give effect to the main legislative changes needed to reform employment dispute resolution and pave the way for a simpler and more efficient system for employers and employees. The key reforms within the Bill are:
	Repeal of the statutory dispute resolution procedures and associated legislation relating to the role of procedure in unfair dismissal.
	Introduction of a new principles based statutory ACAS Code of Practice which will be accompanied by fuller non-statutory guidance to provide practical help for employers and employees.
	Employment tribunals will take account of the statutory Code in making determinations and have discretionary powers to adjust awards by up to 25 per cent. If either party acts unreasonably.
	Removal of time restrictions on ACAS' duty to conciliate after an employment tribunal claim has been made.
	Additionally, the Government announced on 6 February 2007 that they were making up to 37 million available to help prevent workplace disputes unnecessarily going to employment tribunals. This extra funding over three years, will allow ACAS to boost its helpline and advice services so that they may help at any stage of a dispute ensuring it is never too late for employers and employees to reach an informal resolution. The money will support increased availability of ACAS conciliation before an employment tribunal claim has been made, enabling the quicker, informal resolution of more disputes.
	Other non-legislative measures to improve and simplify employment dispute resolution will be outlined in the Government's response to the consultation which will be published in due course.

Industrial Disputes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government have taken to speed up employment dispute resolution procedures.

Patrick McFadden: The Tribunals Service has in recent years developed processes for dealing expeditiously with claims in certain jurisdictions. The Government propose to build on this existing good practice by extending the number of jurisdictions which will routinely be listed and determined quickly. The proposals are set out in my answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 650W, to the hon. Member for Calder Valley (Chris McCafferty). The Government have also announced that additional resources will be invested in ACAS conciliation for cases which are likely to become the subject of an employment tribunal claim, but have not yet done so. This will enable more cases to be resolved quickly and informally.

Overseas Trade: Finance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of UK overseas regional trade offices in the last period for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: The English Regional Development Agencies maintain representation overseas for the purpose of attracting inward investment, which in the financial year 2006-07 cost a total of 2.3 million.
	Please note overseas trade activity by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

Post Office Card Account

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on what basis charges are levied on accessing a post office card account or a girocheque.

James Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.
	Customers are not charged when they use their Post Office card account or cash a DWP cheque at the Post Office. However, the contracts for these two services come at considerable cost to the taxpayer. The Post Office card account contract, for example, will cost up to 1 billion over its lifetime. Each payment into a Post Office card account costs around 80p and each cheque cashed around 1.79. This compares to approximately 1p for each payment into a bank or building society account.

Post Offices: Essex

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform further to the letter of 26 January sent by Lord Hanningfield to his Department, what assessment he has made of whether steps taken by Essex County Council constitute a serious expression of interest to financially support post offices; and whether such steps require Post Office Ltd to delay physical closure of existing branches in Essex to allow  (a) funding and  (b) a contract to be put in place.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 February 2008
	I have spoken to both Post Office Ltd. and to Essex county council about this issue and encouraged dialogue, but it is for Post Office Ltd. and any interested local authority to work through the details of any proposal for councils to fund post office branches scheduled for closure under the network change programme.

Tribunals: Employment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans the Government has for a role for lay people in employment tribunals.

Patrick McFadden: The Government's position on the role of lay members in employment tribunals is set out in my answer of 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 650W, to the hon. Member for Calder Valley (Chris McCafferty).

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Private Finance Initiative

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many private finance schemes have been signed under the Building Schools for the Future programme; and what the  (a) contractor and  (b) length of contract is in each case.

Jim Knight: There are currently 13 signed PFI deals as a result of the BSF programme. Details regarding the contractor and the contract length are included in the following table:
	
		
			  LA PFI scheme  Contractor  Contract length (years) 
			 Bradford Integrated Bradford 25 
			 Bristol Skanska Education Partnerships 25 
			 Lancashire phase 1 Catalyst Land Lease 25 
			 Lancashire phase 2 Catalyst Land Lease 25 
			 Leeds phase 1 Environments for Learning (E4L) 25 
			 Newcastle phase 1 Aura 25 
			 Solihull BAM PPP 25 
			 Waltham Forest Bouygues Partnership for Education and the Community 25 
			 South Tyneside and Gateshead phase 1 Inspired Spaces 25 
			 Leicester City phase 1 Miller Consortium 25 
			 Knowsley Transform Schools 25 
			 Lewisham phase 1 Learning 21 25 
			 Sheffield Paradigm 25

Children: Autism

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to provide support for parents with autistic children during school holidays since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Breaks from looking after their children are an important element of support for the parents of disabled children, including autistic children.
	The Good Practice Guidance on autistic spectrum disorders which the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health published in 2002, included pointers to good practice on family support and encouraged schools and local authorities to ensure that there were suitable arrangements to support children and families out-of-school hours and during the school holidays.
	The Government have made a commitment that all schools will be providing access to extended services and activities by 2010, and we have set out a core offer of activities that we want all children to be able to access through schools by that time. The Government have published guidance which makes clear that children with disabilities and special educational needs must be able to access all the services. We have also been working with the Council for Disabled Children to review access to and inclusion in extended schools, and in children's centres, for disabled children and their families.
	A report of this work will be published shortly, to help schools and children's centres identify effective practice in including disabled children and young people in the services and activities they provide, including services provided in the school holidays.
	The Government recently announced the start of a three-year transformation in short break services for disabled children. 21 local areas will launch the first wave of 370 million investment for local authorities that will extend to all of England from 2009. This will provide many more disabled children, including those with autism, with enjoyable and valuable experiences away from their parents and carers, in turn providing them with the opportunity to take a break from caring.

Children: Day Care

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps children and learners teams working in Government offices for the regions have taken to implement child care strategies in their areas; and what assessment he has made of the impact of regional teams on child care providers.

Beverley Hughes: Children and learners teams in the Government offices for the regions work with local authorities to provide challenge and support as local authorities implement the Government's 10 year child care strategy and Children's Plan in their areas. Practical measures taken have included child care discussions as part of the negotiation of local area agreements, and the establishment of child care regional networks, with Government offices working with local authorities on their child care sufficiency assessments and helping them prepare for their new duty to secure sufficient child care for working parents from 1 April 2008.
	This Government office work is enabling local authorities to work more effectively with child care providers, shaping and supporting local child care markets which will ensure that sufficient child care is available.

Children's Centres

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the occupancy rate in nursery facilities provided in Sure Start children centres.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start children's centres serving the most disadvantaged communities in England must provide integrated early learning and full day care as part of their core services. Centres serving less disadvantaged communities may provide integrated early learning and day care places where local demand is not being met by existing, good quality providers. Information on the occupancy rate in nursery facilities in Sure Start children's centres is not collected centrally by my Department.
	The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey, conducted when the first Sure Start children's centres were at an early stage in setting up their integrated early learning and child care services, estimated that there were 37,700 registered full day care places provided in centres in England, an average of 55 places per centre and 6,600 vacancies, an average of 12 vacancies per centre.

Children's Centres: Labour Turnover

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of Sure Start children's centres in each local authority area have  (a) child care staff vacancies,  (b) manager and/or administrator vacancies,  (c) outreach staff vacancies and  (d) speech and language therapist vacancies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of levels of recruitment and retention in Sure Start children's centres; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the workforce in Sure Start children's centres workforce is not collected centrally. The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that 31 per cent. of full day care providers based in children's centres in England were actively recruiting staff. This snapshot is based on a sample survey of providers and an estimate of the number of full day care providers based in children's centres who had staff vacancies is not available. Data are not available at a local authority level.
	Sure Start children's centres offer a range of integrated services for young children and families, delivered by statutory, private and voluntary and independent sector agencies working together. Recruitment and retention of children's centre staff is a matter for local management by children's centres, local authorities and their partner agencies. By 2010 Sure Start children's centres will be serving all communities across the country providing universal, mainstream and permanent services for children under five and their families. Last summer we advised local authorities of their children's centres funding allocations for the next three financial years (2008 to 2011) to encourage longer-term planning and to increase stability in recruitment and retention of staff.

Creative Partnerships Initiative

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many schools in my constituency  (a) were working with creative partnerships in 2007 and  (b) are planning to work with creative partnerships in 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 20 February 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	Seven schools in the Bassetlaw constituency worked with Creative Partnerships in 2007.
	Creative Partnerships has continued to work with six of these schools this year and expects to work with a number of new schools in Bassetlaw in the next financial year. Final decisions on this will be made shortly in consultation with Nottinghamshire county council.

Disabled: Transport

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much money was allocated to local authorities to be spent on educational transport for wheelchair-bound people  (a) under 18,  (b) under 25 and  (c) aged 25 and over in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department is unable to answer the question in the way it has been asked. However, the following table shows the budgeted expenditure of transport for pupils with special educational needs:
	
		
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08( 2) 
			   
			  Local authority name  Budgeted SEN transport expenditure( 1, 3)  Budgeted SEN transport expenditure( 1, 3)  Budgeted SEN transport expenditure( 1,3) 
			 England 499,592,723 528,476,833 554,914,361 
			 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,242,012 1,926,000 2,176,649 
			 Barnet 4,793,528 5,211,047 5,770,867 
			 Barnsley 1,314,910 1,277,692 1,363,650 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 2,035,212 2,280,577 2,494,785 
			 Bedfordshire 4,278,447 4,984,020 5,400,646 
			 Bexley 3,211,000 2,534,000 2,625,000 
			 Birmingham 13,410,558 13,188,243 12,375,713 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2,025,783 1,502,446 1,477,805 
			 Blackpool 980,188 1,335,606 1,301,683 
			 Bolton 2,546,218 2,455,433 2,542,690 
			 Bournemouth 1,024,622 951,260 952,774 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,413,602 1,370,106 1,379,509 
			 Bradford 4,835,652 7,619,716 7,963,958 
			 Brent 228,000 3,435,000 3,764,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,604,995 2,745,599 3,140,800 
			 Bristol City of 3,690,377 5,344,331 5,420,114 
			 Bromley 3,247,796 3,406,340 3,536,069 
			 Buckinghamshire 7,265,839 6,687,368 9,211,629 
			 Bury 1,069,800 1,597,500 1,904,900 
			 Calderdale 1,666,947 1,686,998 1,691,900 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,377,674 5,591,033 5,827,965 
			 Camden 1,913,183 2,343,149 2,690,915 
			 Cheshire 7,532,516 7,723,286 8,188,581 
			 City of London 47,800 41,800 5,400 
			 Cornwall 1,930,045 1,981,265 2,158,915 
			 Coventry 2,641,075 2,577,016 2,972,184 
			 Croydon 4,146,027 5,274,945 5,314,215 
			 Cumbria 3,451,647 3,478,907 4,173,164 
			 Darlington 604,267 551,335 616,973 
			 Derby 2,245,241 2,243,925 2,301,235 
			 Derbyshire 5,385,094 6,275,718 6,909,393 
			 Devon 1,104,000 2,198,130 2,229,641 
			 Doncaster 2,789,174 3,418,459 3,669,209 
			 Dorset 3,013,221 4,953,509 5,319,916 
			 Dudley 2,021,960 1,823,425 2,363,191 
			 Durham 5,160,384 4,781,398 4,332,815 
			 Ealing 5,005,000 4,797,200 4,999,756 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3,735,851 3,799,159 3,958,640 
			 East Sussex 8,399,051 8,416,982 6,790,684 
			 Enfield 4,451,461 4,165,211 4,375,647 
			 Essex 13,450,194 13,753,166 14,086,532 
			 Gateshead 1,041,523 1,404,394 1,392,821 
			 Gloucestershire 4,030,437 3,843,035 4,420,249 
			 Greenwich 2,977,581 2,998,840 2,867,970 
			 Hackney 3,283,892 3,204,961 3,132,762 
			 Halton 1,163,740 1,173,810 1,198,946 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,046,498 2,148,823 2,226,900 
			 Hampshire 13,580,000 13,900,000 14,487,932 
			 Haringey 3,681,407 3,797,556 3,789,425 
			 Harrow 2,796,349 2,659,873 3,667,547 
			 Hartlepool 1,029,206 1,200,232 1,099,354 
			 Havering 1,326,640 1,481,800 1,830,897 
			 Herefordshire 1,776,000 1,430,125 1,346,521 
			 Hertfordshire 12,572,428 12,507,112 12,595,617 
			 Hillingdon 3,496,740 3,812,012 3,909,041 
			 Hounslow 2,489,641 2,515,382 2,793,417 
			 Isle of Wight 326,664 325,112 339,178 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 
			 Islington 2,106,192 1,991,886 1,965,644 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,220,170 1,266,052 1,702,997 
			 Kent 15,624,793 17,595,889 16,652,610 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 2,660,521 2,420,062 2,516,937 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,012,537 2,089,210 2,194,334 
			 Kirklees 3,277,800 3,336,300 3,400,200 
			 Knowsley 1,528,505 1,590,046 1,490,035 
			 Lambeth 3,775,000 3,463,970 3,284,989 
			 Lancashire 13,156,306 8,796,768 14,472,153 
			 Leeds 5,934,170 6,855,830 7,128,430 
			 Leicester 3,082,099 3,707,306 3,883,960 
			 Leicestershire 6,006,348 6,002,982 5,748,370 
			 Lewisham 3,562,281 4,102,844 3,672,403 
			 Lincolnshire 9,066,597 9,870,736 10,744,197 
			 Liverpool 4,092,271 4,173,883 4,262,111 
			 Luton 2,188,276 2,130,587 2,031,425 
			 Manchester 6,574,967 4,955,332 6,786,111 
			 Medway 2,800,225 2,948,105 3,279,758 
			 Merton 1,558,490 2,105,440 2,138,650 
			 Middlesbrough 1,515,487 1,731,348 1,953,869 
			 Milton Keynes 1,662,081 1,769,505 1,633,537 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,743,121 1,754,430 2,074,210 
			 Newham 3,062,494 3,144,200 3,455,500 
			 Norfolk 8,130,431 9,190,100 9,769,424 
			 North East Lincolnshire 938,902 1,767,000 1,954,798 
			 North Lincolnshire 1,530,751 1,519,080 1,594,240 
			 North Somerset 1,390,049 1,392,598 1,502,835 
			 North Tyneside 1 ,286,433 1,363,436 1,352,237 
			 North Yorkshire 3,910,978 4,260,055 5,583,483 
			 Northamptonshire 5,178,660 5,835,200 6,407,810 
			 Northumberland 2,673,000 2,626,590 2,888,420 
			 Nottingham 1,773,700 1,706,154 1,746,104 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,800,722 5,122,900 5,343,312 
			 Oldham 1,755,450 1,824,780 2,113,529 
			 Oxfordshire 5,506,949 6,367,442 6,485,086 
			 Peterborough 1,729,610 1,905,379 1,834,708 
			 Plymouth 2,985,433 2,506,692 1,998,387 
			 Poole 885,001 976,652 998,705 
			 Portsmouth 1,439,992 1,492,991 1,582,410 
			 Reading 1,266,519 1,252,210 1,196,451 
			 Redbridge 3,111,720 2,772,180 2,805,008 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 888,081 1,145,134 1,085,126 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,612,000 1,853,800 2,209,300 
			 Rochdale 1,884,535 1,942,003 1,992,660 
			 Rotherham 1,911,662 2,103,623 2,494,588 
			 Rutland 275,810 298,925 272,160 
			 Salford 2,504,545 2,077,061 2,592,910 
			 Sandwell 2,185,800 2,475,300 2,551,900 
			 Sefton 3,062,510 2,501,691 2,802,544 
			 Sheffield 4,381,848 4,514,264 4,605,244 
			 Shropshire 3,291,982 3,223,487 3,317,446 
			 Slough 1,907,295 1,927,471 1,883,190 
			 Solihull 2,007,600 2,050,969 2,159,230 
			 Somerset 3,273,745 3,199,045 3,334,062 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,260,000 2,507,000 2,684,000 
			 South Tyneside 811,170 924,644 1,093,157 
			 Southampton 1,548,500 1,637,171 1,684,382 
			 Southend-on-Sea 2,042,646 1,854,656 1,836,235 
			 Southwark 3,272,300 4,325,397 4,339,792 
			 St. Helens 1,926,082 1,965,606 1,915,161 
			 Staffordshire 6,390,550 7,246,490 7,098,550 
			 Stockport 2,616,029 3,020,274 3,290,741 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 1,706,531 1,842,971 2,073,428 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 1,344,344 1,691,598 2,262,801 
			 Suffolk 5,009,128 5,410,202 5,558,662 
			 Sunderland 2,279,971 2,144,705 2,126,355 
			 Surrey 14,221,959 16,494,879 15,775,204 
			 Sutton 2,449,230 2,592,367 3,212,607 
			 Swindon 1,404,303 1,272,792 1,393,488 
			 Tameside 1,381,390 1,130,000 1,130,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 1,520,597 1,705,759 1,778,343 
			 Thurrock 1,020,649 1,105,354 1,130,862 
			 Torbay 1,012,678 1,273,475 1,381,273 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,382,931 3,473,230 3,507,801 
			 Trafford 2,904,426 2,957,773 2,775,447 
			 Wakefield 2,923,656 3,107,984 2,709,257 
			 Walsall 2,321,770 2,272,683 2,454,698 
			 Waltham Forest 2,978,994 3,252,937 3,411,268 
			 Wandsworth 2,466,236 2,577,928 2,819,159 
			 Warrington 1,879,406 2,742,869 2,598,513 
			 Warwickshire 4,054,442 4,262,928 4,068,662 
			 West Berkshire 1,686,742 1,796,497 1,974,354 
			 West Sussex 12,075,930 13,335,293 13,422,074 
			 Westminster 2,459,900 3,008,500 3,030,700 
			 Wigan 2,910,872 3,094,565 3,132,493 
			 Wiltshire 4,475,454 4,724,697 4,541,478 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,340,662 1,496,198 1,328,490 
			 Wirral 3,852,600 3,878,400 3,923,400 
			 Wokingham 1,563,828 1,562,502 1,676,516 
			 Wolverhampton 2,534,000 3,017,600 2,907,700 
			 Worcestershire 4,916,196 5,533,438 5,879,560 
			 York 1,045,080 1,107,181 1,179,324 
			 (1) Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 15 February 2008. (2).Data are drawn from local authorities Section 52 Budget Statement (Table 1) submitted to the DCSF (formally DfES). (3 )SEN transport expenditure includes budgeted expenditure by local authorities in England on the cost of LA vehicles, public transport and contract hire for: travel between home and mainstream schools, early years settings and special schools where entitlement to assistance is agreed for reasons of SEN and/or disability additional travel arrangements made during the school day to facilitate inclusion additional travel arrangements made to support pupils with SEN and/ or disabilities to take part in extended school activities outside of normal school hours travel to provision, other than a school, where it is made to meet a special educational need the cost of those escorts provided to support travel for children with SEN and / or disabilities travel between home and mainstream schools and special schools for young people over the age of 16 where entitlement to assistance is agreed for reasons of SEN and/or disability any costs for home to college transport for special education needs pupils.  Note: 2007-08 data are subject to change by the local authority.

Extended Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what funding he plans to make available to support extended schools in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; what estimate he has made of the number of (i) primary and (ii) secondary extended schools which charge parents who wish their children to attend activities outside regular school hours; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average weekly cost is of extended school provision in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools, which is payable by parents, in each local authority.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 19 February 2008
	In 2008-09 to 2010-11 a total of 1.3 billion of funding will be made available to support the development of extended schools. This is set out in the table:.
	
		
			   million 
			  Extended schools total funding 2008-11  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total CSR period 
			 Start Up 165 172 71 408 
			 Sustainability 40 100 155 295 
			 Extended schools subsidy scheme 8.5 40 217 265.5 
			 Academic-focused study support 0 84 83 167 
			 Total extended schools revenue 213.5 396 526 1,135.5 
			 Total extended schools capital 84 89 46 219 
			 Total extended schools revenue and capital 297.5 485 572 1,354.5 
		
	
	The Department has announced the individual local authority allocations for the next three years for the start up, sustainability and capital funding streams outlined in the table.
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of schools which charge parents for their children to attend extended activities, and what the levels of charges are. Schools have different systems and variable rates around charging parents for services and activities. A cost benefit analysis carried out as part of the evaluation of full service extended schools, published in June last year, showed that there is some variability in the method of charging. It showed that with the exception of child care where schools made charges to cover costs, levels of charging tend to be ad hoc and small scale.
	The Government have issued guidance to schools on charging through the Planning and Funding Guidance: a guide for schools, local authorities and their partner organisations. This explains the law on charging and makes clear that school governing bodies must devise and publish a charging and fee remission policy in consultation with parents. It also explains how charging enables schools to enhance the quality and frequency of the extended opportunities they offer and to make these more sustainable and so more reliable for families in the long term.
	Parents on lower incomes may be eligible for help with meeting the cost of child care, through the child care element of the working tax credit. We are also making 265.5 million of funding available, as part of the 1.3 billion total extended schools funding, to ensure that children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to access high quality extended activities and are not prevented from doing so on grounds of cost.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Greater London

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in each London local education authority area had fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieving five A* to C grade passes at GCSE, including mathematics and English, in each of the last eight years.

Jim Knight: The information for 2001/02 onwards can be found in the achievement and attainment tables and the 2005 English and maths pilot in the Library. Information for the other years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Geography: Educational Visits

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of GCSE geography students who had the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2007;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level  (a) geography and  (b) biology students who had the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending (i) 2005 and (ii) 2007;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level  (a) geography and  (b) biology students who (i) did not and (ii) had the opportunity to conduct course-related field-work in the school year ending (A) 2006 and (B) 2007;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of GCSE science students who took a residential field trip in the school year ending  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2006; and what percentage he expects to do so in 2008;
	(5)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level biology students who had the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending 2006;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level geography students who had the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending 2006;
	(7)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level biology students who had the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending 2005;
	(8)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-Level geography students who did not have the opportunity conduct course-related fieldwork in the school year ending 2006;
	(9)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level biology students who had the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2005;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level biology students who did not have the opportunity to conduct course-related fieldwork in the school year ending 2005;
	(11)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level geography students who had the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2006;
	(12)  what percentage of GCSE science students had the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2005;
	(13)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of GCSE science students who took a residential field trip in the school year ending 2005;
	(14)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of GCSE geography students who had the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2006;
	(15)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-level geography students who will have the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2008;
	(16)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-Level geography students who will have the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending 2008;
	(17)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-Level geography students who will not have the opportunity to conduct course related fieldwork in the school year ending 2008;
	(18)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of  (a) biology GCSE and  (b) geography students who will have the opportunity to participate in a course-related field trip in the school year ending 2008;
	(19)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-Level biology students who  (a) will and  (b) will not have the opportunity to participate in a course related field trip in the school year ending 2008;
	(20)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of A-Level biology students who will have the opportunity to participate in a half-day field trip in the school year ending 2008;
	(21)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of GCSE students who  (a) will have the opportunity to participate in a course related field trip in the school year ending 2008 and  (b) had the opportunity in the school year ending in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2006.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not collect this information broken down by subject and qualification. However, research carried out by the Scouts Association and the Duke of Edinburgh Award in 2005 found that 86 per cent. of primary schools and 99 per cent. of secondary schools offer pupils at least one residential education opportunity, outdoor education being by far the most popular type.
	Research into Education Outside the Classroom published by NFER in November 2006 also found that there has been little evidence of a decline in numbers of school trips in recent years.
	Fieldwork is and will remain a compulsory part of the geography curriculum in secondary schools, both at key stage 3 (ages 11 to 14) and in GCSE syllabuses. Fieldwork is not currently compulsory in A level geography courses but will be a specific requirement in the A level criteria from September 2008.
	The new key stage 3 science curriculum says that pupils should be offered the opportunity to experience science outside the school environment, including in the workplace, where possible.

Pre-School Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of participation rates in early years education, broken down by social class; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Since April 2004 all three and four-year-olds have been entitled to a free part-time early education place for 12.5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. From 2010, this offer will be extended from 12.5 to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year.
	Figures for January 2007 show that virtually all four-year-old children receive some form of free entitlement. The figure for three-year-olds is 96 per cent.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 19/2007 Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2007, available on my Department's website:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	The 2007 Parents' Childcare Survey collected information about take-up of the free entitlement for three and four-year-olds to 12.5 hours of formal child care per week, by child and family characteristics, enabling an estimate of the proportion of three to four-year-olds who had taken-up this entitlement by social class, using the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC) to be made. The findings from the 2007 survey are planned to be published shortly.
	Comparable estimates are not available for earlier years as specific questions about the take-up of the free entitlement to early years education for three and four-year-olds were not asked in previous surveys. The 2004 survey showed that take up of any early years provision (which would include the free entitlement, as well as other early years education) was lower among more disadvantaged groups. For example, 80 per cent. of three and four-year-olds in families with an annual income of below 10,000 used any early years provision, compared with 95 per cent. of those in families with income above 32,000.

Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities have been given early warning of specific issues to be addressed in their primary school strategy for change, as indicated in paragraph 42 of the guidance issued to local authorities on 6 December 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: None to date. We are reviewing how best to manage this commitment and will notify local authorities in due course.

Primary Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to encourage the awareness of Key Stage 2 pupils of the world of work.

Jim Knight: Over the next three years we plan to extend the range of enterprise education activity in primary schools, building on our success in secondary schools. In particular, we will encourage and support more secondary schools to work with feeder primary schools on enterprise projects, building on schools' expertise.
	We have appointed Sir Jim Rose to lead an independent root and branch review of the primary curriculum. He will make recommendations on all aspects of the primary curriculum by April 2009. The review of the primary curriculum will ensure that children receive a strong foundation in the key areas of learning and begin to develop and understand the essential skills they will need to progress in learning and the workplace.

Primary Education: Free School Milk

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in primary schools received free school milk in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not collect this information.

Schools

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) rural and  (b) urban (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools there were in (A) Cornwall, (B) the south west and (C) England in each year since 1999.

Jim Knight: The numbers of  (a) urban and  (b) rural (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Cornwall, (B) the south west and (C) England as at February 2008 as shown in the following tables. To provide the information requested for previous years would require the manipulation of large volumes of data which could be undertaken only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Primary  Secondary  
			  2008  Urban  Rural  Urban  Rural  Total 
			 (A) Cornwall 59 178 16 15 268 
			   
			 (B) The south west 937 980 227 94 2,238 
			   
			 (C) England 11,958 5,248 2,744 552 19,502

Schools: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what spare capacity there is in schools maintained within Milton Keynes unitary authority area, broken down by  (a) year group and  (b) school.

Jim Knight: holding answer 20 February 2008
	The Department collects data on surplus school places broken down by school via an annual survey. The most recent data available relate to 2007. The Department does not collect data on surplus school places broken down by year group.
	The tables show the number of surplus places in primary and secondary schools in Milton Keynes as at 1 January 2007.
	
		
			  Primary schools 
			  School name  Surplus school places 
			 Abbeys Primary School 146 
			 Ashbrook School 0 
			 Bishop Parker Catholic School 3 
			 Bow Brickhill C/E Primary School 12 
			 Bradwell Village School 66 
			 Brooksward School 70 
			 Broughton Fields Primary School 169 
			 Bushfield School 65 
			 Caroline Haslett School 0 
			 Castlethorpe First School 6 
			 Cedars Combined School 94 
			 Chestnuts Primary School 76 
			 Christ the Sower Ecumenical Primary School (VA) 108 
			 Cold Harbour CE School 9 
			 Downs Barn First School 11 
			 Drayton Park School 60 
			 Eaton Mill Primary School 5 
			 Emberton School 11 
			 Emerson Valley School 60 
			 Falconhurst School 0 
			 Germander Park School 5 
			 Giffard Park Primary School 97 
			 Gilesbrook Primary School 3 
			 Glastonbury Thorn School 0 
			 Great Linford Primary School 77 
			 Green Park School 0 
			 Greenleys First School 1 
			 Greenleys Junior School 14 
			 Hanslope Primary School 52 
			 Haversham Village School 26 
			 Heelands School 21 
			 Heronsgate School 19 
			 Heronshaw School 0 
			 Holmwood school 40 
			 Holne Chase Primary School 20 
			 Howe Park School 13 
			 Kents Hill School 11 
			 Knowles Infant School 56 
			 Knowles Junior School 42 
			 Langland Community School 83 
			 Lavendon School 23 
			 Long Meadow School 2 
			 Loughton Manor First School 0 
			 Loughton School 0 
			 Meadfurlong School 17 
			 Merebrook Infant School 14 
			 Middleton Primary School 80 
			 MKC Water Hall Primary School 145 
			 Monkston Primary School 1 
			 Moorland Infant School 13 
			 New Bradwell School 116 
			 New Chapter Combined School 105 
			 Newton Blossomville CE School 5 
			 North Crawley CE School 23 
			 Oldbrook First School 21 
			 Olney Infant School 55 
			 Olney Middle School 6 
			 Orchard School 44 
			 Oxley Park Primary 145 
			 Penwith School 18 
			 Pepper Hill First School 34 
			 Portfields Combined School 129 
			 Priory Common School 13 
			 Queen Eleanor Primary School 65 
			 Rickley Junior School 91 
			 Rivers Infant School 12 
			 Russell Street School 14 
			 Shepherdswell School 38 
			 Sherington CE 19 
			 Simpson School 82 
			 Southwood School 77 
			 St. Andrew's CE Infant 24 
			 St. Bernadette's 259 
			 St. Mary and St. Giles CE Junior School 27 
			 St. Mary's Wavendon CE Primary 22 
			 St. Thomas Aquinas RC Primary School 0 
			 St. Mary Magdalene School 0 
			 St. Monica's Catholic Primary 0 
			 Stanton School 53 
			 Stoke Goldington First School 25 
			 Summerfield School 34 
			 The Willows School and Early Years Centre 11 
			 Tickford Park Primary 57 
			 Two Mile Ash School 0 
			 Wavendon Gate School 43 
			 Wellsmead Infant School 78 
			 Wellsmead Junior School 60 
			 Willen Primary School 0 
			 Wood End First School 0 
			 Wyvern School 42 
			 Total 3,693 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary  schools 
			  School name  Surplus school places 
			 St. Paul's Catholic School 0 
			 Denbigh School 0 
			 Stantonbury Campus 0 
			 Lord Grey School 14 
			 Walton High 20 
			 Ousedale School 24 
			 Leon School and Sports College 78 
			 Shenley Brook End Secondary 128 
			 The Radcliffe school 241 
			 Sir Frank Markham Community 330 
			 Hazeley Secondary School 524 
			 Oakgrove School 615 
			 Total 1,974 
			  Source:  2007 Surplus Places Survey

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: No recent discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, officials in both Departments continue to work closely together, building on the positive progress already made in implementing the convention and preparing for the UK's periodic oral examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is due to take place in Geneva this autumn.

Young People: Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to ensure that  (a) schools identify young carers amongst their students and  (b) that they liaise with carers' organisations and local authorities in order to meet the needs of those students.

Kevin Brennan: Schools have a key role in supporting young carers. They have responsibilities to all their pupils including a new duty for maintained schools to promote the well-being of their pupils under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. We look to schools to create a supportive environment that responds flexibly to each child's personal circumstances. Within this context, the Government have made a commitment to improving the awareness of young carers' circumstances among teachers and others working in schools. For example, this year we are supporting the development of good practice guidance for those working with young carers and their families, which will include a section on what schools can do to identify and support them. Also, we are making sure that the particular needs of young carers are taken account of in our guidance for schools, such as that on behaviour, attendance and bullying.
	The cross-Government review of carers now under way is a welcome opportunity to re-assess the support available to young carers. Young carers have been consulted, and stakeholder bodies with knowledge of the issues are fully engaged.

Young People: Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department collects on the number of young carers in  (a) schools and  (b) further education.

Kevin Brennan: This information is not collected centrally.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

National Skills Academy

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make a statement on the establishment of a national skills academy for the process industry.

David Lammy: I launched the National Skills Academy for the Process Industries on 24 January. It has a vital role in raising skills across a sector which employs 420,000 people and contributes 22 billion to the economy.

Small Business

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department has taken to assist the development of leadership and management skills in small businesses.

John Denham: We have increased our commitment to our Leadership and Management programme through Train to Gain from 4 million this year to 30 million per year. This aims to develop the capacity of small business managers to understand the skills needs of their business, and to make use of the publicly funded Train to Gain programme. We expect to support around 42,000 companies with between 10 and 250 employees and some 60,000 individual managers over the next three years. We anticipate that this will result in around 150,000 learners from those companies using Train to Gain.

Animals in Research

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to identify alternatives to the use of animals in research.

Ian Pearson: DIUS is spending close to 5.5 million this year on research into the replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research via the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Of this 2.4 million goes to the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research NC3Rs.

Innovation

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent steps he has taken to stimulate innovation in the public and private sector.

Ian Pearson: Considerable progress has been made in implementing the Government's 10 Year Science and Innovation Investment Framework.
	The Technology Strategy Board will coordinate 1 billion of spending over the next three years to support R and D and innovation. We have established the Energy Technologies Institute and we are providing increased support through the Higher Education Innovation Fund.
	In addition, we are working with other Government Departments and public bodies to promote innovation in the public sector. A further series of proposals will be set out in our forthcoming Science and Innovation Strategy.

Science Degrees

Chris Mole: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of applications for science degree courses at universities.

Bill Rammell: The Government are committed to increasing numbers of young people studying science, technology, engineering and maths at all levels. As well as our close coordination with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department funds STEMNET, (the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network), to raise awareness of these subjects among young people. Their Science and Engineering Ambassadors scheme has already enabled over 18,000 specialists to work directly with schools and colleges, alerting students to the opportunities offered by studying these subjects.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) also provides 75 million additional funding from 2007-08 for three years for high cost strategic science subjects at undergraduate level, including chemistry, physics and chemical engineering.

Apprenticeships

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to improve the advice on apprenticeships available to young people.

David Lammy: My RHF, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, has announced a range of steps in his Children's Plan to improve the quality of advice to young people. In addition, World-Class Apprenticeships contains measures specifically focused on apprenticeships, including plans to legislate to require schools to provide comprehensive information on apprenticeships to all their pupils.

Apprenticeships

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage small businesses in Denton and Reddish constituency to provide apprenticeships.

David Lammy: As I explained in an earlier answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Chris McCafferty), the report of the apprenticeship review sets out a wide range of measures to expand apprenticeships. Small business will particularly benefit from our plans to extend wage subsidies to them so that they can more easily recruit apprentices.

Apprenticeships

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the drop-out rate was from Government-sponsored apprenticeships in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The proportion of those who complete the Apprenticeship Framework has grown dramatically over the last three years. In 2004/05 the figure was 40 per cent.; in 2005/06 it was 53 per cent. and in 2006/07 it had risen to 63 per cent. This shows the ongoing improving status and quality of apprenticeships. The proportion who do not complete the apprenticeship is at an all-time low, and continues to fall.

Apprenticeships

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage employers to participate in the apprenticeship programme.

David Lammy: World-Class Apprenticeships sets out a range of measures to encourage many more employers to expand their apprenticeship numbers and to join the programme. These include new financial incentives; a national matching service; and new flexibilities so that employers can bring their own qualifications into apprenticeship frameworks.

Apprenticeships

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of adult apprenticeships.

David Lammy: We recently announced that for the first time, funding will be targeted specifically at expanding apprenticeships for adults aged over 25. This will mean 30,000 such apprenticeships costing 90 million over the next three years.

Skills Training

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to increase employer awareness of the benefits of skills training for employees.

John Denham: It is vital that employers are aware of the benefits skills training can unlock for both employers and their employees. Through Train to Gain more than 70,000 employers have been engaged since its launch in April 2006. We launched the Skills Pledge in June 2007 and now have more than 950 employers committed. And through our skills marketing campaign, 'our future, its in our hands', we are further raising awareness.

Supported Apprenticeships

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what plans he has for supported apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties or disabilities.

David Lammy: As we said in World-class Apprenticeships', more needs to be done to help those with disadvantages to access apprenticeships. It will be a priority for the National Apprenticeship Service to implement a range of measures for disadvantaged groups.

Adult Learning

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what support his Department provides for informal adult learning.

John Denham: We have safeguarded an annual budget of 210 million to 2010/11 to provide personal and community development learning, to widen participation in informal learning and to ensure that people who live in pockets of deprivation do not lose out.
	The consultation that I launched last month, Informal Adult Learning: Shaping the Way Ahead, re-affirms our commitment to this kind of learning and its importance in meeting the basic human need for creativity and stimulationas well as improving health and well-being in our communities.
	I have been greatly encouraged by the tremendous response of our partners, stakeholders and learners in taking this important consultation forward.

NEETs

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training.

David Lammy: Although responsibility for 16 to 17-year-olds is a matter for the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and is a shared responsibility for 18-year-olds, the Government are tackling vigorously the important issue of young people not in education, employment or training.
	The UK has a dynamic and flexible labour market with one of the highest employment rates in the G7. Youth unemployment has fallen since 1997 and the proportion of 18 to 24-year-olds not engaged in full-time education or employment is down to 18.0 per cent. in 2007 from 19.4 per cent. in 1997. We have seen an increase of 501,000 in the number of 18 to 24-year-olds in full-time education, a rise from 22.7 per cent. to 28.3 per cent.

Nanotechnology Research

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what discussions he has had with the Health and Safety Executive on health and safety standards in nanotechnology research development.

Ian Pearson: Nanotechnologies offer potentially huge benefits to society, industry, the environment and health. They can help us improve our quality of life and respond to key issues, such as climate change, potentially contributing to improved energy storage and efficiency, better diagnosis and treatment of disease, faster computer systems, and remediation of polluted air, soil and water.
	The Government are committed to understanding any potential risks of nanotechnologies and to managing them within a proportionate regulatory framework.
	We have established a ministerial cross-departmental group that co-ordinates the UK's programme of research into the health, safety and environmental implications of nanotechnologies. I chair this group which brings together Ministers from DEFRA, DH, DWP and BERR.
	DIUS has provided sponsorship for research into Health and Safety Exposure Assessment in the Workplace Relating to Nanotechnologies. HSE representatives have endorsed this project. It is envisaged that this research will form the basis of a new standard in research development. DIUS is also funding research into the health effects of nanotechnology.
	The development of standards is very important to enable both the development and the regulation of nanotechnologies. Recently, the British Standards Institution has published a number of UK standards that will help to frame the development of international and European standards, including the Guide to Safe Handling and Disposal of Manufactured Nanomaterials (PD 6699-2)(1). This provides advice on good practice to those working in laboratories where research on new materials and applications is being undertaken, as this is where exposure to engineered free nanoscale materials is most likely to occur at present.
	I will be making a statement about Government activities on nanotechnologies next Thursday. This will cover the development and commercialisation, as well as the potential risks and regulation of nanotechnologies.
	(1) http://www.bsi-global.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/Industry-Sectors/Nanotechnologies/PD-6699-2/Download-PD6699-2-2007/

Science Project Funding

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for high level science projects involving Liverpool University and Daresbury Laboratory; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Science Budget allocations for CSR07, which were presented on the 11 December 2007, showed an average real terms increase for science of 2.7 per cent. per annum rising from 3,382 million in 2007/08 to 3,970 million in 2010/11. Over 85 per cent. of this budget is provided as funding to the research councils. The councils themselves decide within their respective budget allocations how much of their funding they spend on each of their programmes, and that determines which universities benefit from their expenditure. As announced in Budget 2006, the Government have designated the Science and Technology Facility Council's Daresbury Laboratory as a Science and Innovation Campus. The broader strategic role for Daresbury and its importance to the North West and its relationship with NW universities will be addressed as part of the Manchester Independent Economic Review to be chaired by Sir Tom McKillop which will specifically include Daresbury's contribution to the NW's scientific and economic base. The Government remain fully committed to developing Daresbury as a Science and Innovation Campus.

Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department plans to move any of its offices to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has no imminent plans to move any of its offices to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. However, we do regularly review our sites strategy and a large proportion of the staff employed by the Department and its agencies are already located outside of London and the South East.

Dentistry: Class Sizes

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what the student to teacher ratio was in each dental school in the UK in each of the last 10 years; what the Department's recommended student to teacher ratio is; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of increased student numbers on the clinical time included in dental students' training;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the dental academic workforce; and what plans his Department has to increase the number of dental academic posts in the UK's dental schools.

Bill Rammell: Although we have not specified a student teacher ratio, we are aware from surveys conducted by the Council of Heads and Deans of Dental Schools of a decrease in the number of clinical academic dentists. In order to address this challenge, in the context of the increase in student numbers, the Department of Health has allocated additional funds building to 29 million by 2010/11 for the clinical training of dental students. With the development of outreach training in dentistry, more students are receiving part of their training in general dental practices where suitable trained and experienced dental practitioners provide clinical training.

Departmental Email

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will take steps to reduce the number of hard copies of emails printed by officials in his Department.

David Lammy: I am conscious of the need to minimise the printing of emails. Staff in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills are generally aware of, and anxious to support, sustainability issues. We have recently reduced the number of printers in the Department, we encourage double-sided printing, and we have also issued all staff with encrypted laptops, which they are encouraged to use flexibly, for example, by taking them to meetings to reduce the need to print off hard copies of agendas or minutes.

Departmental ICT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the  (a) start date,  (b) original planned completion date,  (c) current expected completion date,  (d) planned cost and  (e) current estimated cost is of each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: As far as we are aware, the following lists the projects currently being undertaken.
	
		
			  Projects  Start date  Original planned completion date  Current expected completion date  Planned cost  ()  Current estimated cost  () 
			 DIUS UnITE Project (ICT Services Contract) September 2007 February 2008 February 2008 1.7 million 1.7 million 
			 Managing Information across Partners 2006 2010-11 2010-11 45 million 45 million 
			 Patents Electronic case file System July 2007 April 2008 April 2008 801,000 801,000 
			 Patent Electronic Filing October 2007 March 2008 March 2008 178,000 178,000 
			 Fast Track Trade Mark Application September 2007 April 2008 April 2008 290,000 290,000 
			 Search Engine September 2007 January 2008 January 2008 253,000 253,000 
			 Website Re-Design November 2007 September 2008 September 2008 tbc tbc 
			 Office/Exchange 2007 December 2007 December 2008 December 2008 960,000 960,000 
			 Register Maintenance December 2007 November 2008 November 2008 tbc tbc 
			 Trade Marks Journal January 2008 November 2008 November 2008 tbc tbc 
			 Customer First Programme FY 2006-07 FY 2011-12 FY 2011-12 39 million (to FY 2010-11) 39 million (to FY 2010-11) 
			 Loan Repayment for Overseas Borrowers August 2006 April 2009 April 2009 1 million 1 million 
			 Student Finance Implementation Programme 2008/09 October 2007 October 2008 October 2008 900,000 900,000

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) press and  (b) communications officers his Department has employed since its establishment.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed on 28 June 2007 as a result of the machinery of Government changes.
	It currently employs 13 full-time press officers. It does not currently have a 'communication officer grade' within its communications function.
	The 'White Book' of contacts in Government Departments and agencies contains listings for DIUS and is updated twice yearly.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department.

David Lammy: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Departmental Telephone Services

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by  (a) his Department and  (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.

David Lammy: holding answer 28 January 2008
	 Comprehensive information about 0845 and similar numbers is not readily available centrally and to respond fully would involve an extensive information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold. However, using a variety of information and data sources, I can confirm that the following numbers are in use:
	
		
			  Telephone numbers  Access services 
			 0845 603 4599 The UK Intellectual Property Office 
			 0845 922 2250 The UK Intellectual Property Office 
			 0845 950 0505 The UK Intellectual Property Office 
			 0870 191 0111 Biotech Support 
			 0870 191 0112 Information Society Support 
			 0870 191 0113 NMP Helpline 
			 0870 191 0114 1ST in Manufacturing 
			 0870 191 0115 SME Helpline 
			 0870 191 0116 Beta Technology (Research and Innovation Support). No longer promoted and routes to 0870 600 6080 
			 0870 606 1515 National 1ST Programme Helpline. No longer promoted and routes to 0870 600 6080 
			 0870 240 5927 FP7UK Helpline (Textphone) 
			 0870 240 5929 FP7UK Helpline (Fax) 
			 0870 600 6080 FP7UK Helpline 
			 0870 191 0117 Transport (including Aeronautics) Helpline 
			 0870 191 0118 Space Helpline

Graduates

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his estimate is of the number of graduates who will leave university in each year between 2007-08 and 2017-18.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 11 December 2007
	The Government do not make projections about the number of students graduating from higher education. But increasing and widening participation in HE is a priority for social and economic reasons. To achieve a world-class skills profile for the UK, we will need to deliver higher-level skills training to adults already in the workforce, as well as continuing to take action to meet our existing commitment to make progress towards a 50 per cent. HE participation rate for people aged 18-30. We will aim for at least 36% of adults to be qualified to at least Level 4 by 2014, up from 29 per cent. in 2005 and 40 per cent. by 2020. We are on target to achieve this.

Higher Education Funding Council for England: Circulars

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many circulars were sent out by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in each month since January 2002.

Bill Rammell: The following table contains details of the number of circulars sent out by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) in each month since January 2002. The figures represent numbered HEFCE publications and circular letters sent to vice-chancellors and principals.
	
		
			   Numbered publications, print  Numbered publications, web  Circular letters 
			  2002
			 January 4  1 
			 February 4 1 5 
			 March 8  2 
			 April 8 1 1 
			 May 2 1 3 
			 June 4  5 
			 July 3 1 1 
			 August 1 1 2 
			 September 4  1 
			 October 3 2 2 
			 November 5  2 
			 December 2  2 
			  48 7 27 
			 
			  2003
			 January 3  3 
			 February 4  2 
			 March 6 1 2 
			 April 5  2 
			 May 3  4 
			 June 3  1 
			 July 5 2 1 
			 August 3 4 7 
			 September 3  1 
			 October 5 1 1 
			 November   3 
			 December 6 1  
			  46 9 27 
			 
			  2004
			 January 6 3 1 
			 February 2 1 3 
			 March   3 
			 April 2  1 
			 May 5 3 3 
			 June 2  2 
			 July 3 1 1 
			 August 1  3 
			 September  2 1 
			 October 4 2 1 
			 November 4 2 1 
			 December 4 1 1 
			  33 15 21 
			 
			  2005
			 January 5 3 1 
			 February 1 2 3 
			 March 4 0 3 
			 April 4 1 2 
			 May  1 5 
			 June  3 2 
			 July 8 3 3 
			 August  1 4 
			 September 3   
			 October 3  4 
			 November 1 3 2 
			 December  3 4 
			  29 20 33 
			 
			  2006
			 January 1 1 2 
			 February 3 2 1 
			 March 3 1 2 
			 April 1   
			 May 2 1 2 
			 June 2 1 3 
			 July 5 4 7 
			 August 1 6 3 
			 September 3 1 1 
			 October 3 1 1 
			 November 1 1 2 
			 December 1 1 1 
			  26 20 25 
			 
			  2007
			 January 2 2 1 
			 February 1  3 
			 March 2 1 9 
			 April 2 4 1 
			 May 5 2 2 
			 June  1 2 
			 July 3  3 
			 August 1 3 2 
			 September 1 1 2 
			 October 1 2 4 
			 November 3 1 2 
			 December 1 2  
			  22 19 31 
			 
			  2008
			 January 4 0 2 
			  4 0 2

Higher Education: Admissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of part-time first degree students expected to enrol on a higher education course in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Bill Rammell: The January 2008 Grant Letter to HEFCE set out our expectations for growth in student numbers. As a result of the 2 per cent. real terms increase in funding for HE we are making available over the next three years, and our decision to redistribute grant away from students doing second degrees or other HE qualifications at an equivalent or lower level in order to fund more first degree students, there is scope overall to fund significant growth. We expect a growth in core-fundable students of 20,000 new places in 2008-09, 35,000 new places in 2009-10 and about 60,000 new places in 2010-11 (on a full-time equivalent basis). The exact number of places to be filled by part-time first degree students will depend on student demand and the mixture of provision that institutions deliver, but our plans allow for a significant increase in employer co-funded provision where many students will want to study on a part-time basis.

Higher Education: Ethnic Groups

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress has been made in increasing the number of lecturers of black and minority ethnic origin in universities.

Bill Rammell: The responsibility for recruiting staff lies with higher education institutions (HEIs), as the employers. The Government have encouraged the sector to ensure that its work force is representative of the communities it serves and we have also instituted a number of measures to support HEIs in this area. The Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000) places a duty on higher education institutions to promote equality of opportunity. Through the Rewarding and Developing Staff initiative, we have supported HEIs in developing their human resource capabilityrecruitment and retention, and equal opportunities were two of the six priority areas.
	There has been a rising trend in the numbers of black and minority academics working in higher education, although from a low starting point. In 2005-06, 8.4 per cent. of academics in UK HE institutions were from a black and minority ethnic background, compared to 6.0 per cent. in 1996-97.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England monitors the number of black and minority ethnic staff in higher education through its annual data reportssee
	www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2007/07_36/
	and its Higher Education Workforce Framework, at:
	www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2006/06_21/
	The Equality Challenge Unit, a sector body which provides advice on equality issues, also supports HEIs to help them improve their equality practice.

Higher Education: Finance

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether funding for equivalent learning qualifications will be provided to those seeking second degrees or higher education qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer  7 January 2008
	The progressive re-distribution of institutional funding away from students doing equivalent or lower level qualifications (ELQs) to ones they already hold will enable us to widen Higher Education participation and support more of the millions of people of all ages without a first Higher Education qualification. Nobody has challenged that priority as a matter of principle or on grounds of fairness or social justice. In addition, the analysis in the Lord Leitch's report and comparative data from the OECD all support the conclusion that we are not producing enough graduates for our economic well-being. The ELQ policy sharpens the incentives in the system for HEIs to produce more of them to match our economic competitors. An extra 5 million people will need to go through university by 2020 if we are to be even on the edge of the premier league for world-class skills, with 40 per cent. of the work force with a first HE qualification. All of the 100 million affected by this policy will be redistributed to support this goal.
	However, there will be transitional protection for existing ELQ students until they complete their courses and there will also be opportunities in future for students to pursue such qualifications through foundation degrees and employer co-funded provision. There will also be a review mechanism each year starting in December 2008 to look at individual subjects of particular economic or social importance. We are sure it would be wrong for us to rush into making special arrangements for any subjects, other than those which had already been identified, before any changes to ELQs, as requiring support in the public interest (such as medicine, initial teacher training teaching, science, technology, engineering and maths subjects, area-based studies, and modern foreign languages). But we are asking the Funding Council each year to look at levels of demand both for exempt or protected subjects and at any other subjects which might in future be regarded as key because of their economic or social significance and advise us on the best way forward.

Higher Education: Part-Time Education

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students studying for an equivalent or lower qualification are part-time students.

Bill Rammell: HEFCE estimate that the some 37,000 part-time students (in full-time equivalent terms) were studying equivalent or lower level qualifications (ELQ) in 2005/06. We have always made clear that there will be no change in the existing institutional funding arrangements for all students currently studying for equivalent or lower level qualifications until they have completed their courses.

Higher Education: Qualification

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  which 10 universities awarded the highest number of first-class degrees as a proportion of entrants in 2007;
	(2)  in which 10 subjects the highest proportion of grades awarded to undergraduates were firsts in 2007.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the tables. Figures for 2007/08 will be available in January 2009.
	(1) Top 10 higher education institutions that awarded the highest proportion of firsts is as follows:
	
		
			  Number and proportion( 1)  of first degree graduates awarded first class degrees, English higher education institutions, academic year 2006/07 
			Of which :  those awarded firsts 
			  Institution  Number of Graduates  Number  Percentage 
			 Royal Academy of Music 85 30 38 
			 Royal College of Music 95 30 33 
			 University of Cambridge 3,005 880 29 
			 Royal Veterinary College 70 20 28 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 1,790 480 27 
			 University of Oxford 3,115 810 26 
			 University of Bath 1,835 440 24 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 200 45 22 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 85 20 22 
			 Guildhall School of Music and Drama 120 25 22 
		
	
	(2) Top 10 subjects with highest proportion of firsts is as follows:
	
		
			  Number and proportion( 1)  of first degree graduates awarded first class degrees, English higher education institutions, academic year 2006/07 
			Of which :  those awarded firsts 
			  Subject  Number of Graduates  Number  Percentage 
			 Veterinary science 35 10 30 
			 Mathematical sciences 4,750 1,375 29 
			 Engineering and technology 15,295 3,175 21 
			 Medicine and dentistry 1,225 245 20 
			 Physical sciences 9,975 1,955 20 
			 Computer science 13,375 1,945 15 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 21,540 2,935 14 
			 Languages 16,580 2,240 14 
			 Historical and philosophical studies 13,055 1,755 13 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 1,720 225 13 
			 (1) Based on students whose degree was given a classification. Certain qualifications obtained at first degree level are not subject to classification of the award, notably medical and general degrees. These, together with ordinary degrees have been excluded from the calculation.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Intellectual Property: Ministerial Duties

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which Minister in his Department is responsible for policy on intellectual property.

David Lammy: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin took over responsibility for policy on intellectual property on 24 January 2008.

Jean Monnet Action

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what Jean Monnet programmes are in operation in the UK.

Bill Rammell: The latest information available from the European Commission shows that there are currently 178 Jean Monnet projects in operation in the UK. These include 14 Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence in the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Cambridge, Essex, Glasgow, Hull, Kent, Leeds, Liverpool, Loughborough, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sussex and Wales (Aberystwyth) and funding for courses throughout the UK in community law, European economic integration, European political integration and the history of the European construction process.

Literacy: Greater London

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of functionally illiterate adults living in London over the last eight years; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: We define functionally literate as having literacy skills at Level 1 or above and our public service agreement target for adult literacy from the comprehensive spending review contains a performance indicator for 597,000 people of working age to achieve a first Level 1 or above literacy qualification by 2011 towards our ambition of ensuring 95 per cent. of adults have a minimum of entry Level 3 numeracy and Level 1 literacy by 2020. Since the launch of the Skills for Life strategy in 2001, 1.759 million adults have improved their literacy, language or numeracy skills. The Skills for Life Survey in 2003 found that 19 per cent. of adults aged 16 to 65 in London region were below Level 1 literacy (approximately 190,000 people), compared to an average of 16 per cent. for England. We are currently planning to update the survey.

Lord Triesman

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills who will undertake the Ministerial responsibilities of Lord Triesman when he leaves the Government.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 January 2008
	 Baroness Morgan of Drefelin took over these ministerial responsibilities on 24 January.

Medicine: Higher Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of pupils applying to study medicine at university were entitled to free school meals in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Information on the number of applicants who are entitled to free school meals is not held centrally.

Ministers of Religion: Training

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications of changes in the funding of equivalent or lower qualifications for the training of ordinands in the Church of England.

Bill Rammell: The progressive re-distribution of institutional funding away from students doing equivalent or lower level qualifications will enable us to widen Higher Education participation and support more of the millions of people of all ages without a first Higher Education qualification, some of whom may wish to train as ordinands. However, we asked HEFCE to lead discussions with interested parties on this issue including, for example, the options of Foundation Degrees or employer co-funded courses relevant to positions of religious and spiritual leadership and respond within two months.

Research

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the proposed research excellence framework on  (a) the development of knowledge transfer partnerships,  (b) research funding for university engineering departments,  (c) management education and  (d) the supply of experienced managers entering management teaching.

Bill Rammell: The objective of our proposed reform of research assessment is to develop a simpler, less bureaucratic system for identifying and funding excellent research wherever It is not however intended to achieve a significantly different distribution of funding. The HEFCE consultation on the next stage in the development of the research excellence framework (REF) closed last week and the detailed results are currently being analysed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills plans to meet Professor David Eastwood, Chief Executive of HEFCE, shortly to discuss the responses and next steps.

Sector Skills Councils: Finance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much public money has been advanced to sector skills councils; how much has been repaid; and what arrangements have been made for repayment of outstanding loans.

David Lammy: Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) receive public money from a range of sources. This normally takes the form of grant funding for the delivery of specific projects, mainly relating to occupational standards and qualification reform delivery. The schedule shows the forecast amount contracted with SSCs by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) during 2005/06 and 2007/08 financial years (1 April to 31 March). Information about other public money paid to SSCs is not available centrally.
	In addition to contracting with SSCs for this project activity, the Sector Skills Development Agency provides core funding to SSCs to support delivery of their agreed business plans. Core funding contracts are normally of three years duration and most SSCs are now on their second contract. The overall contract values range between 4 million and 7.2 million for the three year period and the payment profiles vary, by individual agreement with each SSC. Such grant funding is tied to the delivery of agreed contractual outputs and outcomes. The SSDA does not loan money to SSCs.
	
		
			  SSDA funding to SSCS 
			  000 
			   Forecast 2007/08( 1)  Actual 2005/06 
			   Core funding  Other funding  Total  Core funding  Other funding  Total 
			 Asset Skills 1,463 2,647 4,110 1,388 743 2,131 
			 Automotive Skills 424 314 738 1,320 370 1,690 
			 Cogent 1,645 665 2,310 1,428 495 1,922 
			 ConstructionSkills 1,883 2,659 4,542 1,420 489 1,908 
			 Creative and Cultural Skills 730 832 1,562 1,378 815 2,193 
			 Energy and Utility Skills 1,665 1,242 2,907 1,445 434 1,879 
			 e-skills UK 2,405 2,506 4,911 1,250 4,801 6,051 
			 Financial Services Skills Council 1,528 1,083 2,611 1,663 370 2,033 
			 GoSkills 1,100 1,172 2,272 1,325 733 2,058 
			 Government Skills 1,426 940 2,366 128 173 301 
			 Improve Ltd 1,283 1,108 2,392 1,475 546 2,021 
			 Institute of Motor Industry 1,274 1,396 2,670
			 Lantra 1,822 2,362 4,184 1,300 547 1,847 
			 Lifelong Learning UK 1,096 606 1,702 1,575 588 2,163 
			 People 1(st) 1,931 707 2,638 1,492 418 1,910 
			 Proskills UK 1,145 976 2,121 1,141 1,055 2,195 
			 SEMTA 1,727 1,728 3,455 1,405 793 2,198 
			 Skillfast-UK 1,866 1,739 3,604 1,319 729 2,048 
			 Skills for Care and Development 1,168 820 1,988 1,488 855 2,342 
			 Skills for Health 1,770 1,704 3,474 1,438 354 1,792 
			 Skills for Justice 1,571 1,459 3,030 1,488 639 2,127 
			 Skills for Logistics 1,702 1,402 3,103 1,519 751 2,270 
			 SkillsActive 1,803 1,141 2,944 1,325 874 2,199 
			 Skillset 1,756 1,831 3,587 1,716 435 2,151 
			 Skillsmart Retail 1,273 1,277 2,549 1,393 260 1,653 
			 SummitSkills 1,751 757 2,508 1,381 228 1,608 
			 Total funding 39,207 35,071 74,278 34,195 18,496 52,691 
			 (1) Forecast for period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 based on information at 31 December 2007.

Skilled Workers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy is on re-skilling the existing workforce.

Bill Rammell: The Government are committed to improving the skills of the workforce, and to delivering the world class skills ambition recommended by Lord Leitch in his independent review of our nation's skills. In 'World Class Skills: Implementing the Leitch Review of Skills in England', published in July last year, the Government set out how it will work with employers, trade unions and individuals to deliver its world class skills ambition. As World Class Skills makes clear, this will require a significant increase in the number of people already in the workforce who improve their skills, re-skill and gain new qualifications each year. 70 per cent. of the 2020 workforce is already beyond the age of compulsory education.
	Working in partnership with employers is vital to the delivery of the Government's skills ambitions. Through the measures set out in 'World Class Skills', the Government are giving employers the opportunity to exert real leverage and decision making over both the content and delivery of skills and employment programmes. The new UK Commission for Employment and Skills will strengthen the employer voice at the heart of the system. Reformed and re-licensed sector skills councils will be sharply focussed on raising employer investment, articulating the future skills needs of their sector and ensuring that the supply of skills and qualifications is driven by employers.
	The Skills Pledge offers employers the opportunity to publicly demonstrate their commitment to investing in the skills of their employees and over 850 employers, covering over 2.3 million employees have already done this. To help employers of all sizes and in all sectors to identify and address their skills needs, the Government are expanding and improving the Train to Gain service, and expect to increase their investment through Train to Gain to over 1 billion by 2010-11.

Student Wastage

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time students under 22 years old withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time mature students withdrew from and did not complete their higher education course in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: The information available on non-continuation of higher education students is shown in tables 1 and 2. The figures are taken from the Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
	Table 1 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to higher education institutions in England, who do not continue in higher education after their first year table 2 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to higher education institutions in England, who do not continue in higher education after their first year. Both tables 1 and 2 are broken down by young (under 21) and mature (21 and over) students.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			  Academic year  Young (under 21)  Mature (21 and over) 
			 2001/02 7.0 14.8 
			 2002/03 7.3 15.1 
			 2003/04 7.2 15.4 
			 2004/05 6.8 14.0 
			  Source:  Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year 
			  Academic year  Young (under 21)  Mature (21 and over) 
			 2001/02 16.3 15.8 
			 2002/03 16.1 14.5 
			 2003/04 17.5 14.3 
			 2004/05 16.6 14.8 
			  Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA 
		
	
	Figures for 2005/06 will become available later this year. HESA do not publish figures on the percentage of part-time students not continuing in higher education after their first year.
	According to the figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries.

Students: Insolvency

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many students have entered into individual voluntary arrangements since their introduction;
	(2)  how many students  (a) were declared bankrupt in each of the last 15 years and  (b) took out individual voluntary arrangements since their introduction.

Bill Rammell: The Government's student finance package is designed to ensure that finance should not be a barrier to a higher education course. Student loans from the Government are not like commercial loans: interest is paid at the rate of inflation, so in real terms students only pay back what they borrowed. For income contingent loans available since 1998, repayment is linked to earnings and borrowers only repay if their earnings are over 15,000; from April 2012 they will be able to take up to five years' 'Repayment Holiday' and those taking out a student loan from 2006 have their debt cancelled after 25 years.
	During the passage of the Enterprise Act in 2002 there was a growing awareness about student loan borrowers declaring themselves bankrupt. There was a rise in the number of bankruptcies/Individual Voluntary Agreements (IVAs) notified in 2003. In addition, one of the effects of the Enterprise Act itself was to reduce the period of discharge from bankruptcy from three years to one. Provisions were therefore included in the Higher Education Act 2004 to prevent student loans being written off on bankruptcy. Currently student loans are not exempt from IVAs.
	The increase in student loan borrowers with bankruptcies and IVAs should be seen in the context of the increases in the general population. Figures from the Insolvency Service show that between 2002 and 2006 the number of individual bankruptcies in England and Wales more than doubled; the number of IVAs increased seven-fold.
	Until 2004 IVAs and bankruptcies were not recorded separately in SLC data. After the change in legislation, only IVAs are recorded, as student loans are excluded from bankruptcy debts and are not written off on discharge from bankruptcy.
	Available data are shown in the tables.
	
		
			  English domiciled borrowers with publicly-owned student loans who notified the Student Loans Company (SLC) of their bankruptcy or Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA)( 1) Calendar year of bankruptcy or IVA 1997 to 2004 
			  Calendar year  Borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA  Percentage of all borrowers UK( 2) 
			 1997 70 n/a 
			 1998 90 n/a 
			 1999 120 n/a 
			 2000 130 0.017 
			 2001 230 0.023 
			 2002 270 0.027 
			 2003 800 0.057 
			 2004 1,170 0.072 
			 n/a = not available (1) Bankruptcies and IVAs are not separately identified in the data. There may be delays between borrowers becoming bankrupt/taking an IVA and notifying SLC, therefore figures can increase overtime, particularly for the most recent years. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) UK Borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA in the calendar year as a percentage of all UK borrowers in the March of each year.  Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	
		
			  English domiciled borrowers with publicly-owned student loans who notified the Student Loans Company (SLC) of their Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA)(  1)  Calendar year of IVA 2005 and 2006 
			  Calendar year  Borrowers with IVAs  Percentage of all borrowers England( 2) 
			 2005(3) 820 0.039 
			 2006(3) 1,060 0.047 
			 (1) There may be delays between borrowers taking IVAs and notifying SLC, therefore figures can increase over time, particularly for the most recent years. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) English domiciled borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA in the calendar year as a percentage of all English domiciled borrowers in the March of each year. (3 )provisional  Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Early indications suggest the numbers of IVAs are reducing after 2006.

Students: Public Participation

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the recent letter sent to university authorities regarding student juries.

Bill Rammell: A letter inviting students to take part in the Student Juries was produced by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and circulated to all universities by GuildHE and Universities UK in December 2007. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library.

Training: British Nationality

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether eligibility for the new training places announced on 16 November are restricted to British citizens.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Statement of Priorities 2008-11 and the joint Grant Letter to the LSC from my Department and the Department for Children, Schools and Families published on 16 November set out the Government's funding strategy for learning and skills over the comprehensive spending review period (2008-09 to 2010-11).
	The funding strategy reaffirms the Government's commitment to up-skilling British people to provide them with the skills required in a more competitive labour market, to get them off benefits and into jobs and to help them to advance from low skilled to higher skilled jobs. We will continue to help those who need to improve their skillsthe overwhelming majority of whom, but not all, are British.
	The eligibility rules apply to any learner wanting to access the LSC funded learning places the Government announced on 16 November. For example, British citizens who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of their course will be eligible for funding from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). In addition, a national of any European country (or the spouse, civil partner or child of an EU national) who has been ordinarily resident in the European economic area (EEA) for the three years prior to the start of their course, will also be eligible for LSC funding.
	Other categories of learners, including EEA migrant workers, nationals of non-EU countries, refugees and asylum seekers may also be eligible for LSC funding. The full set of eligibility criteria for access to LSC funded provision is set out in full in the LSC Learner Eligibility Guidance 2007/08. This can be found at www.lsc.gov.uk

Video Games: Qualifications

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of employees in the computer game development sector that have a qualification at degree level or vocational equivalent.

Bill Rammell: The Annual Population Survey (APS) collects information about occupation, industry and qualifications levels but employees in the computer game development sector cannot be specifically identified. Instead I am providing information about software professionals working in the computer related activities industry sector. Estimates from the 2006 APS indicate that 67 per cent. of employees in England whose occupation was software professional and were working in the computer related activities industry sector were qualified to at least level 4 (degree level or vocational equivalent).

Vocational Education: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether approved vocational qualifications must be based on National Occupational Standards.

Bill Rammell: All vocational qualifications which are approved must demonstrate that they relate as appropriate to relevant national occupational standards.

Young People: Unemployment

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the unemployment rate of 18 to 24-year-olds who  (a) have no post-16 qualifications,  (b) have A-Levels,  (c) have a higher educational qualification and  (d) have a further educational qualification (i) is and (ii) was in each year since 1995.

Bill Rammell: The exact information requested could not be derived as a time series. Instead, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) was used to produce a time series with a slightly different qualification categories to those requested. The following table shows the estimates of unemployment rates by qualification held for adults aged 18-24 in England, using the LFS spring quarter (March to May) results between 1995 and 2005 and Quarter 2 results (April to June) for 2006 and 2007. The fact that there was a change in the reporting period of the LFS results means that the figures for 2006 and 2007 and not strictly comparable with those for earlier years as these estimates are subject to seasonality. However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does publish on its website a seasonally adjusted time series of the unemployment rate for 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK. This shows for example, that the rate fell from 13.1 per cent. in spring 1997 to 12.0 per cent. in the last quarter of 2007.
	Our preferred measure of graduate unemployment is provided by the annual Destination of Leavers from HE survey (DLHE) which is available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
	
		
			  Unemployment rate( 1)  for 18 to 24-year-olds by educational attainment, England 
			  Percentage 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 6)  2007( 6)  Average 1995-2007 
			 Higher education qualifications(2) (3)9.9 10.2 6.0 6.6 4.6 4.9 4.6 5.9 5.1 3.6 6.5 8.1 6.7 6.4 
			 One or more A-levels(4) 13.4 9.5 9.5 8.5 7.8 8.6 6.9 6.2 9.0 7.3 7.5 11.9 9.6 8.9 
			 A-level equivalents including apprenticeships(5) 9.9 8.4 7.6 6.8 7.0 5.0 5.2 6.2 6.0 4.2 4.2 7.1 7.5 6.5 
			 One or more GCSE A*-C or equiv/other 14.2 14.0 12.8 12.2 11.7 11.4 10.7 11.1 11.8 12.2 12.3 14.4 16.3 12.7 
			 No qualifications 34.2 33.3 33.3 29.9 31.2 27.6 24.8 22.6 26.2 25.2 26.6 27.9 27.7 28.5 
			 All 14.5 13.7 12.0 11.1 10.3 9.7 8.9 9.2 9.8 9.1 9.9 12.5 12.4 11.0 
			 (1) The unemployment rate is defined as the unemployed (those actively seeking work in the last four weeks and available to start within two weeks) expressed as a percentage of the economically active (the unemployed plus the employed). (2) The 18-24 age range is not very suitable for measuring unemployment of graduates, since most of them are in full-time study for around half this period. (3) The confidence intervals due to sample error for cells in the table do vary, but are at least plus or minus 1.0 per cent. (4) The A levels category includes all 'A' levels attained at all institutions (including further education institutions). (5 )Further Education qualifications can be attained at a variety of levels. In this analysis the A level equivalents category largely consists of vocational level 3 qualifications, but will also include some with AS-levels and also apprenticeships which may be at level 2. Vocational level 3 qualifications are often but not always obtained at FE colleges. (6) These figures are for Q2 (April to June); figures for earlier years are spring (March to May).

TRANSPORT

British Railway Board: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual budget of BRB (Residuary) Ltd. was for each year since 1997; and what functions it discharges.

Tom Harris: BRB (Residuary) Ltd. (BRBR) was formally created in February 2001 when the assets and liabilities of the British Railways Board (BRB) were transferred to the Strategic Rail Authority. Prior to 2001, the functions of BRBR were discharged by BRB and details of the budget and financial results during this period can be found in BRB's historic accounts. Between 2001 and 2005 BRBR was a subsidiary of the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and details of its income and expenditure budget are published in the SRA's annual report and accounts, copies of which are in the Library of the House.
	In October 2005, ownership of BRBR formally transferred from the SRA to the Secretary of State pursuant to a Transfer Scheme under the 2005 Railways Act. The latest results for the company which include its budget are available on BRBR's website at:
	www.brbr.gov.uk
	The function of the company is to manage and discharge the residual rights and liabilities of BRB. Full details are available on BRBR's website.

Cycling England: Expenditure

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on Cycling England in the period during which this programme object had a comparability factor of zero per cent. for the purposes of the application of the Barnett Formula.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure previously recorded under The Cycling England programme is now carried within the local transport group of programmes. Annex C of the October 2007 edition of 'Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy (SFP)' shows this area of spending to be comparable in Wales. The SFP gives details of all comparability factors. For the period covered by the 2004 spending review, the comparability factors are published in the 2004 version of the Statement of Funding Policy and there was no separate Cycling England programme.

Heathrow Airport: Public Participation

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many consultation documents on the expansion of Heathrow airport have been sent by post to  (a) businesses and  (b) residents in wards in each London borough.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 17 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1412-13W, to the question from the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening). This described the approach we have adopted for distributing the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation documents. In view of the number of ways in which consultation documents have been made available, it is not possible to determine precisely the split between documents sent to businesses and residents and the number sent to wards in each London borough.

Local Government Finance: Cheshire

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been allocated by her Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental bodies to  (a) Warrington and  (b) Cheshire in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of the funding was in each case.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 7 February 2008
	The following tables set out the funding allocated by the Department for Transport to Cheshire county council and Warrington borough council from 1997-98 to 2007-08 by purpose.
	
		
			  Cheshire 
			  000 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Capital Highway Maintenance 5,184 3,912 5,630 8,956 11,535 13,204 10,786 12,572 9,893 8,781 14,636 
			 Capital Integrated Transport 3,725 935 2,316 2,800 7,300 7,479 9,224 10,164 8,507 8,111 8,301 
			 Major Schemes 6,833 7,100 3,200  100   
			 Links to School180   117.5 
			 School Travel Plan co-ordinator 30 30 30 
			 Workplace travel plan coordinator 30 30 30 
			 Rural bus subsidy grant  612 612 612 782 895 914 947 985 1,009 1,033 
			 Rural bus challenge  16 632  945 620 552 
			 Urban bus challenge   399 
			 Kickstart (Bus Services) 998   
			 Mixed Priority Route Road Safety Demonstration Project   1,000 1,000
			 Specific Road Safety Grant   1,762 
			 Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership   1,821 2,116 1,896 (1)  
			 Digital breath testing screening equipment   33 
			 Detrunked Roads (Resource)  1,652 1,831 1,877 2,013 2,158 2,212 
			 Detrunked Roads (Capital)  2,099 131 3,500 3,750 3,245 3,695 
			 Total funding 15,742 12,575 12,390 12,368 20,722 26,009 26,719 32,356 28,042 23,304 31,789.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Warrington 
			  000 
			   1997-98( 2)  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Capital Highway Maintenance  1,312 1,474 1,755 2,357 2,474 2,837 2,991 2,729 2,649 3,493 
			 Capital Integrated Transport  222 704 900 2,000 2,168 2,177 2,952 2,000 1,920 2,064 
			 Major Schemes  1,534   345 993 1,683 1,973 1,162   
			 Cycle Projects Fund   1 
			 Local Authority Cycle Training Grants   35 
			 Rural bus subsidy grant  60 60 60 76 87 89 108 112 115 118 
			 Rural bus challenge  5 60 
			 Specific Road Safety Grant   392 
			 Detrunked Roads (Resource)  14 14 14 15 15 16 
			 Detrunked Roads (Capital)  827  
			 Total funding  3,133 2,298 2,715 4,778 6,563 6,801 8,038 6,018 4,699 6,118 
			 (1) To be published shortly (2) Cheshire county council was the local highway authority for Warrington (and Halton) up to and including 1997-98 
		
	
	Information on grants provided by the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies is held by the bodies themselves. This information is not held centrally.

M3

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment  (a) her Department and  (b) the Highways Agency has made of the capacity of junction 6 of the M3 to deal with predicted traffic levels (i) up to and (ii) beyond 2011.

Tom Harris: The Highways Agency, Hampshire county council and Basingstoke and Deane borough council have agreed in principle that improvements to M3 J6/Black Dam roundabout would be needed for development envisaged in the Basingstoke local plan to proceed.
	Hampshire and Basingstoke councils are developing a transport model for Basingstoke which will be used to test development options and identify impacts on transport infrastructure for inclusion in the new Local Development Framework documents. This model will identify likely future traffic flows at M3 Junction 6. The Highways Agency is working in partnership with the two councils to look at appropriate improvement options for the junction.

Minibuses: Tachographs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will bring forward proposals to exempt volunteer drivers of minibuses used for voluntary work from the requirement to use a tachograph.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The EU Regulation on drivers' hours (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006), which requires the use of tachographs, provides a national exemption for vehicles with between 10 and 17 seats used exclusively for the non-commercial carriage of passengers. This was implemented in Great Britain by means of the Community Drivers' Hours and Recording Equipment Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/1819).
	This exemption would apply to minibuses used by the voluntary sector provided the operation as a whole is carried out without a view to profit nor incidentally to an activity which is itself carried out with a view to profit.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were wrongly impounded under the Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1996 in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08( 1) 
			 Vehicles wrongly impounded 158 253 
			 Percentage of the total number of vehicles wheelclamped/impounded 0.17 0.24 
			 (1) To January

Railway Stations: Safety Measures

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made by the Office of Rail Regulation with train operating companies on reducing the number of accidents on station platforms.

Tom Harris: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) undertakes inspection programmes with mainline train operating companies which, where appropriate, include assessing the company's health and safety arrangements for managing the risk on station platforms.
	Recently ORR has also worked with some of the major owning groups on strategies to reduce accidents. Industry statistics show signs of a reduction in the number of accidents at stations.

Railways: Safety

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken with train operating companies to improve passenger safety on late-night services.

Tom Harris: Over a third of the 2,500 stations on the network now have CCTV, as do an increasing number of trains. Over 600 stations are accredited under the Secure Stations scheme which was launched in 1998 to improve security at overground and underground stations for both passengers and staff.
	More remains to be done, but the most recent National Passenger Survey showed only 8 per cent. of passengers dissatisfied about their personal security while at the station and 6 per cent. dissatisfied about their security while on the train.

Railways: Watford

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which  (a) groups,  (b) companies and  (c) individuals have been consulted on the decision to terminate railway services between Brighton and Watford at Clapham Junction.

Tom Harris: Southern, the train operating company responsible for the operation of the Brighton to Watford services, issued a consultation document in October 2007. The circulation list for this consultation included passenger representative bodies and local authorities.

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were in (i) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities there were involving drivers under the age of 21 in (i) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency and (ii) Suffolk in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents, the number involving drivers under the age of 21, and the resulting fatalities in (i) the parliamentary constituency of Bury St. Edmunds and (ii) Suffolk in 1997 to 2006 are given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Accidents and fatalities in the parliamentary constituency of Bury St. Edmunds and Suffolk: 1997 to 2006 
			   (i)Bury St. Edmunds( 1)  (ii) Suffolk 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities  (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1997 332 8 2,224 43 
			 1998 326 3 2,251 23 
			 1999 285 8 2,298 48 
			 2000 352 10 2,312 56 
			 2001 321 6 2,356 53 
			 2002 299 7 2,300 43 
			 2003 333 8 2,341 60 
			 2004 301 5 2,220 42 
			 2005 296 7 2,237 36 
			 2006 282 4 2,087 47 
			 (1) Based on the 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries 
		
	
	
		
			  Accidents and fatalities involving drivers aged under 21 in the parliamentary constituency of Bury St. Edmunds and Suffolk: 1997 to 2006 
			   (i) Bury St Edmunds( 1)  (ii) Suffolk 
			   (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities  (a) Accidents  (b) Fatalities 
			 1997 98 2 589 9 
			 1998 95 1 590 3 
			 1999 76 1 623 6 
			 2000 92 4 584 15 
			 2001 84 0 589 9 
			 2002 75 1 573 7 
			 2003 99 0 620 11 
			 2004 73 1 594 9 
			 2005 90 1 645 7 
			 2006 79 0 582 18 
			 (1) Based on the 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries

Roads: Accidents

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents occurred  (a) on the A14 in Suffolk and  (b) in Suffolk in each year since 1997, broken down by the day of the week on which the accident occurred.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents on the A14 in Suffolk, and in Suffolk, by day of the week, in 1997 to 2006 are given in the tables.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents, by day of week: A14 in Suffolk 1997-2006 
			  Number of accidents 
			   Day of week 
			   Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday 
			 1997 16 19 22 15 16 20 20 
			 1998 18 16 20 11 22 18 18 
			 1999 22 20 17 14 17 16 16 
			 2000 19 27 24 28 14 15 11 
			 2001 17 17 22 23 21 22 16 
			 2002 26 28 20 20 27 21 15 
			 2003 22 22 23 23 14 11 13 
			 2004 17 20 25 23 21 20 17 
			 2005 18 23 33 16 28 15 17 
			 2006 21 22 24 12 20 11 9 
		
	
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents, by day of week: Suffolk 1997-2006 
			  Number of accidents 
			   Day of week 
			   Monday  Tuesday  Wednesday  Thursday  Friday  Saturday  Sunday 
			 1997 308 328 357 323 385 295 228 
			 1998 328 337 331 310 374 330 241 
			 1999 339 340 327 327 362 314 289 
			 2000 309 319 334 355 427 327 241 
			 2001 382 348 338 328 386 332 242 
			 2002 335 328 314 375 380 321 247 
			 2003 356 343 308 356 393 298 287 
			 2004 289 310 349 374 353 301 244 
			 2005 337 319 361 325 377 283 235 
			 2006 313 283 306 313 390 265 217

Silverlink: Compensation

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation was made available to season ticket holders as a result of the October/November 2007 strike action that affected Silverlink services.

Tom Harris: As the strike days were under the old Silverlink franchise, the entitlement to compensation for season ticket holders was determined by the Silverlink Passenger's Charter. This did not contain any obligation on Silverlink to provide compensation under these circumstances. Any compensation provided by Silverlink would have been at its own discretion and not a matter for the Department.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what purposes the eight SPECS cameras in the Saltash Tunnel are used.

Tom Harris: SPECS cameras are installed throughout the length of the Saltash tunnel to support any police enforcement of the 30 mph speed limit that is in place for safety reasons.

Vehicle Inspectorate: Expenditure

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Vehicle Inspectorate spent on border security and enforcement in each of the last three financial years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The amount spent by The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) on border security and enforcement in each of the last three financial years is nil, as VOSA are not a statutory border agency and VOSA's enforcement work is not carried out at the border.

DEFENCE

Annual Army Abstract 2007

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Annual Army Abstract 2007.

Derek Twigg: The Defence Analytical Services Agency has not produced an Annual Army Abstract since April 2005, due to the majority of the statistics already produced in other more timely publications such as the monthly manning report and the tri-service publications.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme: World War II

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average and  (b) longest delay in payment was to those entitled to payment under the compensation scheme for former civilian prisoners of the Japanese in the Second World War between authorisation of payment by the Veterans Agency and payment over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we have manually tracked five payments made since October 2007; the manual processing time was five days, although one payment took 12 days to process.
	The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) are not aware of any claimant reporting a payment failing to arrive or reporting undue delays in payment.

Armed Forces: Apprentices

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to offer  (a) Royal Navy,  (b) Army and  (c) Royal Air Force recruits apprenticeships appropriate to their trade or profession; and whether any changes are planned to apprenticeships that are in place in each service.

Bob Ainsworth: The armed forces are one of the UK's largest employers of apprentices. Training is delivered 'in-house', with specific apprenticeship requirements being interwoven with the training needs of the operational environment. In the vast majority of cases, apprenticeship programmes directly relate to specific service professions and have significant portability when personnel return to civilian life. In the last financial year the armed forces recorded over 7,300 funded apprentice completions. In order to meet their business needs, the armed forces continue to expand the variety of apprenticeship schemes available to their personnel. No changes are planned to apprenticeship schemes that are currently in place.

Armed Forces: Archives

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the attestation papers of Irish regiments disbanded in 1922 are deposited; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 February 2008
	Many records did not survive due to the destruction of the Army Records Centre during the Blitz. If they have survived, attestation papers for non-commissioned ranks whose service ended before circa 1 Jan 1921 will be found at The National Archives, in classes WO 363 and WO 364 or in earlier-dated classes if discharged prior to the outbreak of the first world war. For those whose service ended in 1921 or later and whose attestation papers have survived, the papers will be among the British Army service records now held by TNT Archive Services on behalf of MOD.

Armed Forces: Housing

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department in each of the last six years on providing private rented accommodation for service personnel and their families.

Derek Twigg: In 1996, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) sold its service families accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL). Under the sale agreement the SFA is leased back to the MOD until the Department no longer has a use for it.
	MOD is required to accommodate entitled personnel within 10 miles of their duty station (or 20 miles with the permission of their service commander). Where no suitable SFA can be found, substitute SFA (SSFA) is offered within the appropriate distance from a duty station.
	The expenditure in the last six years is shown in the following table. Information in respect of 2001-02 SSFA is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   million 
			   AHL rent  UK SSFA  Cyprus SSFA  Gibraltar SSFA  Germany SSFA 
			 2001-02 117.9 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002-03 124.7 8.9 0.6  n/a 
			 2003-04 130.3 9.1 0.6  30.0 
			 2004-05 130.9 11.0 0.6  30.0 
			 2005-06 136.7 13.0 0.5  31.0 
			 2006-07 141.8 15.0 0.4 0.1 31.0

Armed Forces: Housing

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of ex-spouses who have overstayed the 90 days notice to vacate period as a result of the breakdown of an armed forces marriage; how many of these who overstayed had children; and how many have subsequently been evicted.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Training

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of infantry recruits did not complete their training at Infantry Training Centre, Catterick in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 5 February 2008
	The percentage of Infantry recruits who did not complete their infantry training at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC), Catterick is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Percentage not completing the course 
			 2003-04 26.4 
			 2004-05 30.5 
			 2005-06 30.6 
			 2006-07 32.0 
			 2007-08(1) 34.6 
			 (1) To 31 December 2007.  Notes: 1. The training year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Figures relate to those courses which finish in each training year. 2. The figures shown include discharges (those leaving the Army) and reallocations (those who transfer to another Arm or Corps).

Army Training and Recruiting Agency

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department's latest  (a) ATRA trainee strength by UIN and  (b) ATRA trained soldier gains by Arms/Corps.

Derek Twigg: I am withholding the ATRA trainee strength by UIN analysis because it would disclose personal information, either directly or by combination with other published data.
	The latest version of the ATRA trained soldier gains by Arms/Corps was as at 1 March 2007. Copies of this publication will be placed in the Library in due course.

Defence Estates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for re-powering consented projects submitted to the Defence Estates using his Department's developers pro forma have been objected to since its introduction.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, as soon as it becomes apparent that a proposal is for re-powering of an existing scheme (as opposed to a proposal for an entirely new development) that is taken into account when deciding whether or not to raise a concern.
	Recent examples where developers have addressed our concerns in regard to re-powering wind farm proposals include cases at Goonhilly, Cornwall and Blyth Harbour, Northumberland. Consequently, in those cases, the Ministry of Defence will not be objecting to the planning applications.

Defence Estates: Cost Effectiveness

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the efficiency savings target is for Defence Estates in 2007-08.

Derek Twigg: Under the spending review 2004 efficiency programme, the MOD is required to achieve 2.83 billion of cumulative input and output efficiency savings by the end of 2007-08. We are on course to overachieve against our overall efficiency programme target. Defence Estates is expected to contribute at least 95 million of this target.
	As part of the 2007 financial planning round, a further efficiency savings target of 2 million was agreed with Defence Estates for 2007-08.
	Efficiency savings across the Department are reinvested to fund high priority areas of expenditure, such as support to operations and our personnel, including through sustained investment in accommodation.

Defence: Lobbying

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when  (a) he and  (b) his officials had meetings with lobbyists representing the interests of defence contractors over the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 702W, for a list of events organised by the Defence Manufacturers Association which MOD Ministers have attended in the last 12 months.
	Records show that no MOD Ministers have met other independent lobbyists representing the interests of defence contractors over the past 12 months. Records for meetings held by MOD officials are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from his Department's estate in each year since 2005; and what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from military establishments  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas in each year since 2005.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence's total carbon emissions, including those from military establishments in the UK and overseas, for 2005-06 are:
	
		
			  Emissions in CO2: 2005-06 
			   Thousand tonnes 
			 UK Defence Estate 469.9 
			 Overseas Defence Estate 54.9 
			 Total 524.8 
		
	
	Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published later this year in the Sustainable Development Commission's Sustainable Development in Government Report 2006-07 and will be available on their website at:
	www.sd-commission.org.uk

Departmental Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the  (a) special advisers and  (b) ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election.

Des Browne: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to Government buildings for security reasons.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

Derek Twigg: There are currently 16 serving Ministry of Defence senior civil servants who have received honours during the past five-year period, starting from the New Year Honours List 2003 to the New Year Honours List 2008 (inclusive). Data is not routinely kept on those officials awarded honours before joining the Department or those officials who are awarded honours in recognition of activities outside the departmental duties.

Military Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of Fast Jet upgrade and repair was undertaken by the Royal Air Force in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: Civilian contractors have always been employed on certain aspects of the repair and upgrade of RAF aircraft. Since 2004, the depth maintenance of Fast Jets has increasingly been performed by joint RAF/civilian teams. Contracts for aircraft maintenance are output-based and the number of civilian personnel required to achieve the output is decided by the contractor rather than the Ministry of Defence.
	Information on the relative numbers of RAF and civilian personnel engaged in Fast Jet upgrade and repair in each of the last 10 years is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Bases: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department has contracted a private security firm to provide security at Colchester Garrison; how many private security employees have been engaged; when the decision to involve a private security firm was made; what competitive tendering procedure was undertaken; what the  (a) value and  (b) period of the contract is; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: During the deployment of 16 Air Assault Brigade on Op Herrick, as announced on 6 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 68-70WS, the Department has contracted a private security firm to provide unarmed guarding during the period of the Brigade's absence at Colchester Garrison. In order to deliver this service, the contractor engaged a total of 18 security personnel.
	The decision to contract a local security firm was made in September 2007 following a full investment appraisal. There was a full competitive tendering process in accordance with Ministry of Defence contracts manual and EC public procurement regulations.
	The value of the contract is 652,000 and the duration is 10 months to cover the deployment of the brigade, pre deployment training and post tour leave.

Parachuting: Injuries

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parachute-related  (a) injuries and  (b) deaths there were in each of the last 10 years in (i) the Army, (ii) the Royal Navy and (iii) the Royal Air Force.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD introduced the Central Health and Safety project (CHASP) database in 1997 to collect health and safety incident data in the Department, mostly on duty or on MOD property. Although 65 parachute-related incidents have been recorded for the 10-year period 1997 to 2006 (data for 2007 are not currently available), difficulties with CHASP data collection suggest these are likely to represent an undercount of the true figure and details are unreliable. I am therefore unable to provide a detailed breakdown of these figures, and the instance of parachute related injuries over the last decade.
	Details on annual parachute-related deaths in the UK regular armed forces for each year during the 10-year period 1997-2006, are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Parachute related deaths in the UK regular armed forces, by service (number), 1997 to 2006 
			   All  Naval service( 1)  Army  RAF 
			 All 10 1 6 3 
			 1997 0 0 0 0 
			 1998 0 0 0 0 
			 1999 0 0 0 0 
			 2000 2 0 2 0 
			 2001 1 1 0 0 
			 2002 2 0 2 0 
			 2003 2 0 1 1 
			 2004 1 0 0 1 
			 2005 2 0 1 1 
			 2006 0 0 0 0 
			 (1 )Royal Navy and Royal Marines

RAF Pershore

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the presence of any radioactive contamination at the former RAF Pershore airfield at Throckmorton as a result of its use as a Vulcan bomber dispersal site.

Derek Twigg: A land quality assessment was undertaken in 1999, on the part of the former RAF Pershore airfield at Throckmorton used by Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. QinetiQ, to whom the site was later transferred, carried out an additional assessment in 2001.
	There are no records of radioactive contamination as a result of use of the site for Vulcan bomber disposals.

Sexual Harassment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of  (a) sexual harassment and  (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Derek Twigg: Statistics for complaints made by MOD civil servants prior to April 2007 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Complaints of harassment are raised through the MOD's harassment complaints procedures. Complaints of discrimination are raised using the Department's grievance procedures. The figures for formal complaints of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination raised from April 2007 onwards are as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination complaints in the MOD civil service (April 2007-January 2008) 
			   Number 
			 Sexual harassment 1 
			 Sexual discrimination 2 
		
	
	The following table summarises the figures for sexual harassment and discrimination complaints in the armed forces for the most recent available year from 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007. These figures are for formal complaints only where the complaint has been made through the service complaints procedures.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of sexual harassment and discrimination complaints in the Armed Forces (October 2006-September 2007) 
			   IRN  Army  RAF  Total 
			 Sexual harassment 11 11 10 32 
			 Sexual discrimination 2 5 1 8 
		
	
	Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated within the Ministry of Defence or the armed forces. Revised harassment complaints procedures were published in January 2007. All Service personnel have the right to raise a complaint if they feel they have been treated unfairly whilst in service. This is part of their statutory right of complaint under single-Service redress procedures.

Trade Unions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he has had with trade union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trade unions.

Derek Twigg: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time taken by his Department was to respond to the receipt of a wind farm developer's application using the Department's developers pro forma in each of the last five years; and what the target response time is for such applications.

Derek Twigg: The average time taken to provide an initial response to completed wind energy pre-planning consultation pro forma, in each of the past five years is:
	
		
			   Response time (days)  Number of pre-planning applications 
			 2003 (1)56 913 
			 2004 (1)65 714 
			 2005 110 738 
			 2006 95 806 
			 2007 70 906 
			 (1) Note:  The figures for 2003 and 2004 are estimates based on the paper records kept at that time. 
		
	
	Although we have no formal target, we aim to provide an initial response within 56 days. This aspiration was based on the response times in 2003-04, but the complexity of applications since then has meant that the response time has regrettably been longer than we wish. We have, however, reduced the time taken in each of the last two years and aim to further reduce the time taken in future years.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings his Department has had with wind farm  (a) companies,  (b) organisations and  (c) associations to discuss objections to wind farm applications on the grounds of radar clutter in the last 12 months; and what the outcome was of such meetings.

Derek Twigg: Many meetings take place with wind farm stakeholders covering numerous issues, including radar clutter. The Ministry of Defence has a number of concerns with turbines over and above effects on radar; for example, low flying and seismometers. Moreover, wind turbines have a number of effects on radar of which clutter is only one.
	The information requested is therefore not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests for meetings the Department or Defence Estates has received from wind farm developers to discuss objections to wind farm applications on the grounds of radar clutter were declined in each of the last three years; and what the reasons were for the requests being declined.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many wind farm projects submitted to the Defence Estates using his Department's developers pro forma were rejected in each of the last three years; and what percentage of projects this represented in each of the years concerned.

Derek Twigg: At the pre-planning stage, Defence Estates does not reject applications, but makes developers aware of concerns which the Ministry of Defence would wish addressed before a formal planning application is submitted. In each of the past three years, the number of wind energy pre-planning consultations received by Defence Estates with which it raised concerns is:
	
		
			   Number of wind energy pre-planning consultations to which the MOD raised concerns  Percentage of total wind energy pre-planning consultations received by MOD 
			 2005 303 41 
			 2006 387 48 
			 2007 251 28 
		
	
	These figures include both offshore and onshore applications.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings the Department has held with wind farm  (a) developers and  (b) consultants to consider allowing on site his Department's technical and operational staff to discuss with the developers technical issues for specific sites; how many requests for such meetings with developers have been rejected by his Department; and whether it is his policy to allow such meetings to take place in normal circumstances.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is always willing to do what is practicable to engage with developers and their consultants to address concerns with proposed wind turbines.
	In some cases a meeting will be appropriate to discuss issues, including any mitigation being proposed. In such instances the MOD personnel participating in those meetings will be decided according to the requirements of the case to be discussed.
	However, the Department has held no meetings, with either wind farm developers or wind farm consultants, with the specific purpose of considering whether to allow MOD personnel from affected sites to discuss with developers technical issues for those sites. Neither has the MOD declined requests for such meetings.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pre-application enquiries to his Department or Defence Estates for onshore wind turbines received an objection from his Department in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the overall number of pre-application enquiries received.

Derek Twigg: The total numbers of onshore wind energy pre-planning consultations received by the MOD with which the MOD raised concerns in each of the past three years are:
	
		
			   Number of onshore wind energy preplanning consultations to which the MOD raised concerns  Percentage of total wind energy preplanning consultations received by MOD 
			 2005 302 41 
			 2006 386 48 
			 2007 250 28

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planning applications for onshore wind turbines have received an objection from the Department in each of the last three years; at what stage of the planning process these objections were lodged; and what percentage this represented of the overall number of onshore wind farm applications to which his Department had been invited to respond.

Derek Twigg: In each of the last three years, the number of onshore wind energy planning applications to which this Department objected is:
	
		
			   Total number of planning applications received  Number of onshore wind energy planning applications to which the MOD objected  Percentage of total number of objections raised to wind energy planning applications 
			 2005 74 10 13 
			 2006 78 12 15 
			 2007 70 9 13 
		
	
	Records show that on only one occasion was a Ministry of Defence (MOD) objection lodged after the application was considered by the appropriate consenting authority. In that case planning permission had been refused and the developer lodged an appeal. The planning Inspectorate granted the MOD permission to participate in the inquiry, which has been postponed to allow further discussion regarding the MOD's objections.

Wind Power

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planning applications for onshore wind turbines the Department did not initially object to but objected to during a public inquiry in the last three years; and what the reason was for the objection in each case.

Derek Twigg: There has been no occasion on which the Ministry of Defence objected to a planning application for an onshore wind farm development during a public inquiry after previously not raising an objection.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aggregates: Environment Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the environmental effects of extraction of primary aggregates.

Iain Wright: My Department has not assessed the environmental impact caused by the extraction of primary aggregates.
	DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund has funded research on some of the impacts of extraction through its allocations to CLG, the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO) and English Heritage. A series of benchmark reports identifying the latest developments in good practice in managing these impacts is due to be launched by MIRO and English Heritage on 12 March 2008. A consultation is currently under way on the priorities for the ALSF from 2008 to 2011 including proposals on research covering the environmental costs of primary aggregates.

Aggregates: Recycling

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to  (a) encourage the use of recycled and secondary aggregates and (b) reduce the use of primary aggregates.

Iain Wright: My Department is responsible for Minerals Policy Statement 1, 'Planning and Minerals', which sets out the policy which mineral planning authorities have to have regard in drawing up their mineral plans. The policy statement promotes a hierarchical approach to minerals supply, aiming first to reduce as far as practicable the quantity of material used, then to use as much recycled and secondary material as possible, before finally securing the remainder of material needed from primary extraction.

Aggregates: Recycling

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of aggregates from demolished buildings was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: In England there are three sources of supply of construction aggregates: land won sand and gravel and crushed rock; marine dredged sand and gravel; and aggregates recycled from construction, demolition and excavation waste (CDEW). Of the 202 million tonnes total consumption of aggregates in 2005 aggregates from CDEW contributed about 50 million tonnes.
	In managing aggregates supply my Department collects biennially high level data of the contribution CDEW makes to national aggregates supply which is published as the 'Survey of Arisings and Use of Alternatives to Primary Aggregates in England.' The last survey was for 2005 and the survey report is available for download from the Department's website
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningand building/pdf/surveyconstruction2005
	However we do not disaggregate the data to distinguish the amount of material arising from the demolition of buildings separately from other sources.

Central Manchester Development Corporation: Archives

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government where the archives of the Central Manchester Development Corporation are kept.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold the records of the Central Manchester Development Corporation centrally. However some of the records are archived within the registry at Government office for the north-west.

Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in the Peterborough City Council area were in each council tax band in each year since 1997.

John Healey: Details of the number of dwellings in each council tax band in the Peterborough city council area in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of dwellings 
			   Band A  Band B  Band C  Band D  Band E  Band F  Band G  Band H  
			  Valuation band ranges  Under 40,000  40,001 to 52,000  52,001 to 68,000  68,001 to 88,000  88,001 to 120,000  120,001 to 160,000  160,001 to 320,000  Over 320,000  Total 
			  Ratio to band D( 1)  6/9  7/9  8/9  1  11/19  13/9  15/9  2  
			 1997 31,615 15,682 10,539 4,582 2,600 1,309 662 54 67,043 
			 1998 31,744 15,766 10,532 4,671 2,715 1,318 683 55 67,484 
			 1999 31,852 15,907 10,704 4,797 2,848 1,345 695 56 68,204 
			 2000 31,880 15,981 10,708 4,982 2,930 1,367 706 55 68,609 
			 2001 31,965 16,070 10,844 5,121 3,082 1,444 732 55 69,313 
			 20002 31,979 16,145 10,994 5,300 3,197 1,516 746 55 69,932 
			 2003 31,991 16,338 11,145 5,463 3,354 1,534 751 55 70,631 
			 2004 32,057 16,448 11,324 5,684 3,465 1,599 772 56 71,405 
			 2005 32,215 16,482 11,443 5,792 3,589 1,569 779 55 71,924 
			 2006 32,572 16,778 11,586 6,039 3,706 1,606 798 58 73,143 
			 2007 32,691 17,166 11,681 6,242 3,795 1,661 808 59 74,103 
			 (1 )Within an authority, the council tax for each valuation band is a fixed ratio to that for Band D. For example, a Band A dwelling will pay 6/9 the Band D amount, and a Band H dwelling w ill pay twice the Band D amount. 
		
	
	The data are provided by the Valuation Office Agency and relate to a particular date in the autumn of each year.

Employment: Discrimination

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any local authorities have had legal action brought against them on the basis of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Services: Retirement

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to provisions for ill-health retirement for firefighters since the Fire Service circular of September 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: No changes have been made to provisions in the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992.
	The Firefighters' Pension Scheme (England) Order 2006 came into force on 25 January 2007 and gave effect to the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2006. Firefighters who have joined the Fire and Rescue Service in England on or after 6 April 2006 are members of this scheme unless they opt out. The ill-health retirement arrangements in this scheme are similar to those in the 1992 scheme and no changes have been made to them since it came into operation.

Fire Services: Safety Measures

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in  (a) Warrington and  (b) the rest of Cheshire received home safety advice from Cheshire Fire Service in 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information required is available only for the period January to September 2007, which is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Period  Activity  Total 
			 January to September 2007 Home fire risk checks 29,928 
			 January to September 2007 Smoke alarms installed 35,173 
		
	
	Information on the number of home fire risk checks and smoke alarm installations undertaken by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service for the period October 2007 to March 2008 is not yet available. Similarly, information on the number of home fire risk checks and smoke alarm installations undertaken by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service for the Warrington area is not held centrally.
	Communities and Local Government has made a total of 26.4 million available to all English fire and rescue services up to 2008, to undertake home fire risk checks and to support further fire prevention work.

Fires

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fires there were reported to the Fire Service in each year since 1978.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information on the number of primary fires in England is shown in Table 1 as follows, however statistics on the total number of primary fires in England is only available from 1981 onwards. Prior to this, information on the number of primary fires, in England, is limited to subcategories of primary fire.
	
		
			  Table 1: Primary fires by location, England, 1978 to 2006( 1, 2)  England 
			  Thousand 
			   Primary fires( 3)   
			  Outdoor   
			   Total  Dwellings  Other buildings  Road vehicles  Other  Secondary fires  Chimney fires( 3) 
			 1978(4) n/a 39.6 35.1 21.6 n/a 113.4 49.3 
			 1979 n/a 48.4 33.9 25.4 n/a 133.7 44.9 
			 1980(4) n/a 42.2 36.6 25.1 n/a 123.9 43.8 
			 1981 113.0 44.4 31.8 28.3 8.5 112.9 44.1 
			 1982 118.8 44.2 32.5 32.6 9.4 126.2 30.7 
			 1983 122.4 45.0 32.9 34.1 10.5 132.6 32.4 
			 1984 129.1 45.6 34.7 37.2 11.6 169.8 34.3 
			 1985 131.0 48.5 34.6 38.0 10.0 125.6 42.1 
			 1986 134.1 49.1 34.5 40.4 10.1 122.5 35.2 
			 1987 135.0 49.4 33.6 42.4 9.6 102.9 30.7 
			 1988 135.7 50.0 35.0 41.7 8.9 118.2 25.2 
			 1989 144.5 50.1 37.9 44.2 12.3 194.0 22.1 
			 1990 146.0 48.7 37.3 48.3 11.6 210.7 18.9 
			 1991 155.8 49.4 35.5 60.8 10.0 156.3 22.5 
			 1992 162.5 50.2 35.2 67.1 10.0 148.8 20.1 
			 1993 160.2 50.7 35.6 64.1 9.8 168.6 19.6 
			 1994(3) 159.4 52.0 38.6 57.6 11.2 195.8 16.6 
			 1995 161.3 52.2 38.7 58.8 11.6 300.2 14.4 
			 1996 168.6 56.6 38.9 61.9 11.2 226.7 16.5 
			 1997 164.5 57.6 36.9 60.1 9.9 189.5 12.6 
			 1998 163.4 56.5 34.6 63.1 9.2 146.3 10.7 
			 1999 178.8 57.5 36.3 74.8 10.2 180.0 9.6 
			 2000 180.0. 56.2 34.4 79.6 9.8 179.8 8.9 
			 2001 188.4 54.8 36.0 86.7 10.9 229.5 9.3 
			 2002(5) 182.6 51.6 34.0 86.0 11.0 225.9 7.1 
			 2003(5) 176.8 51.1 34.8 79.0 11.8 308.5 7.0 
			 2004 150.9 48.1 31.4 61.7 9.7 192.3 6.2 
			 2005 140.3 46.6 29.4 55.0 9.3 195.1 6.4 
			 2006(1, )(6) 131.1 44.8 27.4 49.1 9.8 201.9 6.8 
			 (1 )Provisional (2) Data collection methods have varied so categories may not be consistent throughout the period. (3) Figures for primary fires from 1994 are based on sample data weighted to individual FRS totals. They include 'late' call and heat and smoke damage only incidents, which were not recorded prior to 1994. (4) Includes estimates for incidents not recorded in 1977, 1978 and 1980 during industrial action. (5) Includes estimates for incidents not recorded in November 2002 and January and February 2003 during industrial action. (6) Data for 2006 is provisional and subject to change  Note: Figures for 1974 and 1975 are estimates

Government Offices of the Regions: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget was of each of the government offices of the regions in 2007-08; and what the planned budget is of each in each of the next four years.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 20 February 2008
	The running cost budget for each of the Government offices in 2007-08 is set out in the following table. The provisional budget for 2008-09 has also been included in the table.
	
		
			   
			  Government office  Budget in 2007-08  Provisional budget in 2008-09 
			 North East 11,973,230 9,356,870 
			 North West 16,194,170 12,221,110 
			 Yorks and Humber 13,920,590 9,102,090 
			 West Midlands 15,090,000 10,236,170 
			 East Midlands 11,001,300 9,082,880 
			 East 11,567,320 9,815,630 
			 South East 13,212,200 11,408,960 
			 South West 13,795,370 10,847,880 
			 London 16,296,590 12,133,810 
		
	
	The budgets in 2008-09 have been reduced to reflect the CSR07 savings required. They have also been reduced further as the GO estates budgets are to be managed centrally in the coming year.
	Budgets have not as yet been set for 2009-10 or beyond, though further spending review savings will have to be made in future years.

Homelessness

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 1028-9W, on homelessness, what evidence Chorley borough council received on levels of rough sleeping in Chorley from local organisations working on homelessness before carrying out its rough sleeper count.

Iain Wright: Chorley borough council consulted with all key local partners prior to the November 2007 rough sleeper count with a view to identifying which areas should be covered on the count, in accordance with the guidance for local authorities published by Communities and Local Government. The consultation was carried out via the Chorley Homeless Prevention Partnership Group and identified a number of possible sites where rough sleepers may be bedded down in the area. All sites were included on the count route.

Homelessness: Social Services

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what measures the Government have introduced to provide services and support for homeless people since 1997;
	(2)  what support the Government provide for homeless young people; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Tackling homelessness is a key priority for this Government and we have made major progress, reducing rough sleeping by 73 per cent. since 1998 and ending the long-term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children under the homelessness legislation.
	We strengthened the statutory protection through the Homelessness Act 2002, providing one of the strongest statutory safety nets in the world for homeless families with children and vulnerable people. This includes a requirement for local authorities to have a strategy in place for tackling and preventing homelessness and ensuring that accommodation and support is available to people in their district who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
	Under the Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002, we widened the categories of people who have a priority need for accommodation under the homelessness legislation to include, among others, 16 and 17-year-olds and young people aged 18 to 20 previously in care at any time between the ages of 16 and 18.
	Since 2003, we have seen a year on year reduction (over 45 per cent.) in the number of households accepted under the homelessness legislation. The number of households in temporary accommodation is also reducing and local authorities are on course to meet the target of halving the number of households in temporary accommodation to 50,500 by 2010.
	We have provided significant investment for homelessness prevention. This includes our recent announcement of 200 million homelessness grant funding for local authorities and the voluntary sector over the next three years. This represents the biggest ever cash injection for homelessness services and demonstrates the commitment that reducing homelessness remains a top priority for this Government.
	We have also invested 90 million capital funding in 2005-08, to improve hostels and day centres used by rough sleepers so they can move into education and employment and make the transition from the street to a settled home. A further 70 million capital funding is being made available in 2008-11 to build on the success of improving hostels and day centres.
	We fund the National Homelessness Advice Service (NHAS) which is a partnership between Citizens Advice and Shelter, to ensure high quality advice on homelessness prevention through the network of participating Citizens Advice bureaux and other voluntary agencies across England.
	The Supporting People Programme launched in 2003 has been helping the most vulnerable in society, including young people and people at risk of homelessness, to live independently by providing accommodation and support to help them make the transition to economic and social independence. Since 2003, we have invested Supporting People funding of over 8.7 billion in local authorities to spend on the areas where they have identified need. To date, around 1.3 billion has been allocated to clients who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
	In November 2006, we announced measures to further prevent and tackle youth homelessness. This includes a commitment that by 2010, no 16 or 17-year-olds should be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation by a local authority under the homelessness legislation, except in an emergency. The number of 16 and 17-year-olds in bed and breakfast accommodation has fallen by almost one-third from September 2006, when there were approximately 1,000 young people in bed and breakfast accommodation, to around 700 young people at the end of June 2007.
	We are also working to improve access to homelessness mediation across the country (including family mediation for young people), so that there is a universal expectation of such services and we are promoting the use of supported lodgings schemes and other supported housing provision to ensure appropriate accommodation, advice and support is available for young people who can no longer stay in the family home.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many members of the senior civil service in her Department have received an honour.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006, six members of staff in the senior civil service have been awarded an honour, of whom three are still serving in the Department.

Housing: Low Incomes

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the total capital receipts under the right to buy; what the effect of these in public sector borrowing has been; when the revenue received was spent; and what plans she has for the treatment of further revenues. [Official Report, 19 March 2008, Vol. 473, c. 7MC.]

Iain Wright: The following table answers my hon. Friend's question for the years since 1995-96. Information before that year is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   million 
			   Housing capital investment supported by CLG  Right to Buy (RTB) Receipts  Set Aside/Pooling  Investment greater than set-aside/pooling 
			 1995-1996 (1) (1) 860 (1) 
			 1996-1997 (1) (1) 637 (1) 
			 1997-1998 1,894 890 943 951 
			 1998-1999 2,098 911 1,085 1,013 
			 1999-2000 2,173 1,374 1,477 696 
			 2000-2001 2,866 1,426 1,626 1,240 
			 2001-2002 3,312 1,566 1,382 1,930 
			 2002-2003 3,598 2,210 1,626 1,972 
			 2003-2004 4,685 2,936 No data n/a 
			 2004-2005 4,767 2,575 1,694 3,073 
			 2005-2006 5,106 1,544 1,067 4,039 
			 2006-2007 5,194 1,145 843 4,351 
			 2007-2008 (2)5,597 No data (3)770 No data 
			 (1) Information available at only disproportionate cost  (2) Programmed expenditure  (3) Estimated pooled housing capital receipts 
		
	
	The table shows the total capital receipts from RTB sales of local authority dwellings in England. The figures are net of discount and are as reported by local authorities.
	The table also shows the value of capital receipts set-aside from 1997-98 to 2003-04 (the last year in which the set-aside regime existed). Under this regime, with-debt local authorities were required to set-aside a proportion of the capital receipt generated by the disposal of a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) asset, for the repayment of housing debt. When set-aside exceeds RTB receipts, it is because set-aside includes a proportion of receipts from not only RTB, but also whole-stock transfers, non-RTB dwelling sales, and sales of other HRA assets such as housing land.
	When capital receipts from the sale of a Government-owned asset are received, the sales reduce public sector net borrowing in a manner such that the amount of sales is equal to the amount of the reduction. To the extent that a proportion of these receipts are retained and spent by the local authorities through pooling or set-aside, then that spending will offset the initial reduction.
	Under the set-aside regime, with-debt authorities were free to use the proportion of their housing receipts that had not been set aside for any capital purpose they saw fit. Debt-free authorities were free to use the whole of their housing receipts for any capital purpose. The Department does not record when authorities actually spent these receipts.
	From 1 April 2004 set-aside no longer applied to most housing receipts. All local authorities, both with-debt and debt-free, paid over or pooled the same amounts to the Secretary of State which would have formerly been set aside. Until the introduction of the pooling regime, set-aside was the mechanism that allowed a proportion of housing capital receipts to be redistributed for investment elsewhere.
	When an authority set aside an amount, the need for central Government revenue support for that amount of borrowing through HRA subsidy disappeared, thereby enabling central to provide support for borrowing elsewhere.
	RTB sales reduce public sector net borrowing and since receipts are cash and therefore interchangeable with all other capital receipts, they are not hypothecated to any particular spending at any particular time. However, the table shows that the Government have consistently invested more in housing than they have received in receipts. In 2005-06, the amount paid to Government from all housing receipts is estimated to have been nearly 1.1 billion. The amount invested in housing was nearly 5.2 billion, i.e. almost five times the amount received in receipts.
	The process of pooling is currently being reviewed as part of the wider review of housing finance.

Housing: Waiting Lists

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in Cornwall were on waiting lists for homes in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 116W.

Housing: Waiting Lists

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in Tamworth were on housing waiting lists in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) on 13 November 2007,  Official Report, column 116W.

Local Authorities: Public Participation

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to monitor the expenditure of local authorities on LINks; what restrictions there are on the ways in which such local authority money can be spent; and how compliance with such restrictions is monitored by her Department.

Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
	The level of the local authority contribution to the local involvement network (LINk) is a matter for individual councils. Government funding for local authorities' responsibilities in this area has been added into Area Based Grant.
	As part of its annual reporting to the Secretary of State, a LINk will be asked to declare the amount of funding made available to it in order that it might carry out its activities as set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Local Authorities: Sustainable Development

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to incentivise councils to promote environmental sustainability with economic growth.

Iain Wright: The Department has taken a wide range of steps to incentivise councils to promote environmental sustainability with economic growth as set out in a range of documents including the Local Government White Paper and Planning White Paper.
	In December 2007, we published, as a package, the annex to Planning Policy Statement 1 on Climate Change and draft Planning Policy Statement 4 on Sustainable Economic Development. When PPS4 is published in its final form these national statements of policy will be applied by councils to achieve sustainable development.

Local Government Finance: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much cash was held in reserve by Tamworth borough council in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The amount of revenue reserves held by Tamworth borough council in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table. Information for England has been published in Statistical Releases and editions of Local Government Financial Statistics.
	
		
			  Level of revenue reserves 
			  000 
			   Earmarked  Unallocated 
			  At 1 April   
			 1997 10,156 1,446 
			 1998 8,972 2,718 
			 1999 7,142 2,718 
			 2000 7,305 1,914 
			 2001 5,593 1,342 
			 2002 4,772 503 
			 2003 4,989 503 
			 2004 5,018 503 
			 2005 5,375 1,159 
			 2006 5,433 3,179 
			  At 31 March   
			 2007 6,106 3,659 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as supplied by the local authority to Communities and Local Government. 2. Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns

Local Government: Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities on taking into account the needs of carers when drawing up local area agreements.

John Healey: CLG has issued two sets of guidance on local area agreements (LAAs) as follows:
	draft statutory guidance 'Creating Strong., Safe and Prosperous Communities', which was published for public consultation on 20 November covering the new legal framework for local area agreements; and
	operational guidance 'Development of the new LA A framework' covering negotiations of LAAs for 2008-11.
	This guidance describes the process for setting targets in local area agreements, drawn from the National Indicator Set (which contains an indicator, NI 135, which specifically addresses the needs of carers). It does not cover how to set individual targets to take into account the needs of carers, as this will be a matter for individual negotiation in each LAA.

Planning: Public Participation

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what funding she intends to allocate to supporting community engagement when major infrastructure projects are initiated through proposed revised planning procedures;
	(2)  if she will ensure that communities affected by proposals for a major infrastructure project in the East Midlands will have access to the services of the East Midlands Planning Aid Service;
	(3)  when she expects to announce the funding settlement for the East Midlands Planning Aid Service for 2008-09;
	(4)  how many people were assisted by the Planning Aid Service over the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement on community engagement on planning issues;
	(5)  how many people were assisted by the East Midlands Planning Aid Service over the past 12 months.

Iain Wright: As the Planning White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future made clear, the Government are committed to ensuring that members of the public get the advice and support they need to get involved in the new development consent process for major infrastructure projects proposed under the Planning Bill.
	During the Second Reading of the Bill on 10 December 2007, the Secretary of State announced that we would therefore put an extra 1.5 million per annum into Planning Aid, an organisation that helps members of the public and particularly hard-to-reach groups engage in the planning process.
	This extra money will ensure that affected individuals and communities are supported so that they can participate effectively in the new planning process for major infrastructure projects and make their views heard.
	The Government are considering the precise details of future levels of funding for Planning Aid and will make an announcement soon.
	For the 12-month period from December to January 2007, Planning Aid assisted 23,575 individuals and 1,428 community groups. For the same period, the East Midlands Planning Aid service assisted 1,496 individuals and 108 community groups.

Quality of Life

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities make use of the Audit Commission's Quality of Life indicators.

John Healey: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Lady directly.

Quality of Life

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her definition of quality of life is in relation to the well-being powers of the Local Government Act 2000;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the use of well-being powers of the Local Government Act 2000.

John Healey: The Local Government Act 2000 gave local authorities the power to do anything which they consider is likely to achieve the 'promotion or improvement' of 'one or more' of the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area. The only limitations on this power are that local authorities are nor enabled through the Act to raise additional funding, or undertake an action that is specifically prohibited elsewhere in law.
	The Act did not attempt to set out a definition of 'quality of life'. Instead it required every local authority (in consultation with others) to draw up a strategy setting out how they intend to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of their particular area over the long term.
	The Government carried out an independent evaluation of the take-up and usage of the well-being power. The results are contained in Formative Evaluation of the take-up and implementation of the well-being power which can be found on the CLG website.

Quarrying

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has commissioned on the relative costs of mineral extraction from  (a) land and  (b) marine sources in the last five years.

Iain Wright: My Department has commissioned no direct work on the relative economic or environmental costs of minerals extraction from land and marine sources in the last five years.
	However DEFRA is funding a study to investigate the feasibility of assessing the relative impacts of exploitation of marine and land sand and gravel reserves. The study is due to be completed in March 2008. The project is funded through the Marine Environment Protection Fund, and administered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Quarrying: Planning Permission

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria she uses to assess planning applications on the extraction of aggregates.

Iain Wright: Section 38 (6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 states that
	if regard is to be had to the development plan, for the purpose of any determination to be made under the planning Acts, the determination must be made in accordance with the plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
	This means that applications will be decided by mineral planning authorities, in accordance with their minerals development plan document, but taking into account other factors, such as Government policy set out in Minerals Policy Statement 1 Planning and Minerals and other relevant considerations.

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government are committed to assess the impact of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. My Department will carry out an initial evaluation during 2008 involving consultation with business, industry and the Fire and Rescue Service.

Surveys

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government where the first place survey pilots are to take place.

John Healey: The new Place Survey will gather the views of the public about the work of councils and their partners. The survey is being piloted in each of the following local authorities:
	Wychavon District Council;
	Buckinghamshire County Council;
	Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council; and
	London Borough of Hackney.
	These areas have been selected with the aim of ensuring that results from the pilot will be sensitive to differences between rural, urban, county and district level authorities so the pilot can inform successful delivery of the Place Survey across all areas of England.

Surveys

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a draft copy of the place survey.

John Healey: I have placed a copy of the New Place Survey consultation document in the Library of the House.
	The consultation ended on 8 February and we are currently analysing the responses to the consultation.

Vehicles: Pollution Control

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she has given to local authorities on implementing the pollution prevention guidelines on vehicle washing and cleaning in policy planning guidance 13; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Planning Policy Guidance note 13: Transport sets out the Government's overall policy on planning for transport. Its objectives are to integrate planning and transport at the national, regional, strategic and local level and to promote more sustainable transport choices both for carrying people and for moving freight. Planning Pollution Statement 23: Planning and Pollution Control, and its Annex 1: Pollution Control, Air and Water Quality set out how the planning system can contribute to improvements in water quality. The policy expects local planning authorities to take into account the diffuse pollution that could be created by a proposed development and any measures the developer proposes to mitigate the impact. Neither documents provide specific advice on vehicle washing and cleaning.
	The Environment Agency issued a revised Pollution Prevention Guideline 13 on vehicle washing and cleaning in October 2007. This is good practice guidance for all landowners and tenants to help prevent pollution from vehicle washing and cleaning using automatic wash systems, high pressure or steam cleaners and washing by hand. Local authorities should be aware of pollution prevention guidelines and implement them where it is appropriate to do so. The principal enforcement agencies for pollution prevention guidelines are the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Heritage Service for Northern Ireland and the water companies for pollution and trade effluent respectively. DEFRA is working with the Environment Agency to tackle non-agricultural diffuse water pollution as part of its work under both the water framework directive and 'Future Water', DEFRA's recently published Water strategy. In particular, DEFRA is considering the introduction of simple general binding rules, which will provide a new approach to regulating such activities along with proportionate forms of enforcement, such as fixed penalty notices. A DEFRA consultation on this issue is anticipated later this year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Products: Smuggling

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on  (a) leaflets,  (b) posters,  (c) other advertising,  (d) the branded mobile unit and  (e) merchandising to support outreach activity on the risk from illegal imports of products of animal origin in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following figures refer to money spent by DEFRA:
	
		
			  Leaflets and posters (including printing and distribution) 
			
			 2002-03 421,000 
			 2004-05 37,991 
			 2005-06 28,906 
			 2006-07 28,013 
			 2007-08 27,926 
		
	
	
		
			  Other advertising (including press, radio, television, internet and outdoor) 
			
			 2004-05 334,189 
			 2005-06 243,853 
			 2006-07 361,521 
			 2007-08 354,738 
		
	
	
		
			  Outreach activity and other community events (including production of the mobile unit plus mileage (although from 2007-08 the branded mobile unit is no longer being used during the outreach activity),production of branding banners and printing of T-shirts for staff) 
			
			 2004-05 76,286 
			 2005-06 57,178 
			 2006-07 70,538 
			 2007-08 57,967 
		
	
	
		
			  Merchandising to support outreach activity (travel wallets, pens and toothbrush kits) 
			
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 17,010 
			 2007-08 8,235 
		
	
	Since April 2003, HM Revenue and Customs has also undertaken a number of publicity activities as part of its Products Of Animal Origin (POAO) anti-smuggling responsibilities.

Agricultural Products: Smuggling

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the amount of illegally imported meat entering the UK which was  (a) contaminated with virus and  (b) not detected in the last 12 months.

Jonathan R Shaw: The endemic nature of exotic diseases in many countries around the world results in a continuous but low risk of infected meat reaching the country through illegal routes. This means that all such seizures are treated as an animal health risk and destroyed, by incineration, in the shortest possible time.
	The risk of disease relates to the possibility that animals may consume infectious material in illegal imports. Very small amounts of infectious material may cause disease and are likely to form only a very small proportion of any illegal import. There is thus very little chance of finding infected material by testing samples. Discovering whether any individual seizure is infected is unlikely to contribute significantly to the way that the restrictions relating to imports are enforced.
	It is not possible to make an accurate estimate of the amount of illegally imported meat entering the UK which was not detected in the last 12 months because they are illegal and, therefore, clandestine.

Agriculture: Income

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much and what proportion of total income from farming resulted from  (a) single farm payments,  (b) agri-environment schemes,  (c) diversified activity and  (d) receipts from food production in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The answer is given in the table shown as follows. 'Receipts from food production' is not available; the value of crop and livestock production has been included.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007 
			million  Percentage of TIFF   million  Percentage of TIFF   million  Percentage of TIFF 
			 Single farm payment 2,349 108 2,354 102 2,292 90 
			 Agri-environment schemes 259 12 346 15 410 16 
			 Inseparable non-agricultural activities(1) 674 31 710 31 771 30 
			 Total crop output 4,998 230 5,147 223 5,791 228 
			 Total livestock output (meat, milk and eggs) 6,544 301 7,246 315 7,699 303 
			 TIFF 2,171 100 2,303 100 2,538 100 
			 (1) The diversified activity which is included in TIFF is only that which is considered 'inseparable'. This includes activities such as 'tourist accommodation and catering' and 'farm retailing'.

Agriculture: Standards

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations were  (a) implemented and  (b) revoked by his Department in each year since 2001; and what estimate he has made of the cost to industry of complying with regulations implemented by his Department in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has commissioned an independent project to review the stock, and establish a comprehensive ongoing record, of general Statutory Instruments introduced since 1 January 2001. The project includes categorising whether SIs are, for example, minor, technical, amending, or revocations. The Department will place in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament, no later than 31 March 2008, a short report on the outcomes of the project. Non-finalised data shows that, for general SIs, the breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			   SIs introduced  SIs revoked 
			 2000 92 39 
			 2001 143 82 
			 2002 115 60 
			 2003 105 45 
			 2004 133 45 
			 2005 139 32 
			 2006 144 18 
			 2007 165 21 
		
	
	In 2005, together with other Government Departments, DEFRA embarked on a programme to reduce the administrative burden of regulation by a net 25 per cent., by 2010. At that time, DEFRA's pre-existing administrative burden (i.e. the total cost to business of form filling, dealing with inspections and providing statutory information to third parties) was estimated by PricewaterhouseCoopers at 527.8 million.
	DEFRA has published Simplification Plans in each year since 2005. The Department's latest Simplification Plan, Cutting Red Tape, was published in December 2007. It shows that, taking account of new Regulations that have added additional administrative burdens, the overall burden the Department imposes on business should be no more than 395.8 million by 2010, a reduction of 132 million or 25 per cent.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many National Reserve applications Stage 1 and Stage 2 appeals were outstanding at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: As of 8 February 2008, the Rural Payments Agency had six Single Payment Scheme (SPS) National Reserve Stage 1 Appeals and 33 SPS National Reserve Stage 2 Appeals ongoing.

Animal Welfare

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to monitor the effect on animal welfare of the Hunting Act 2004 over the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA has no plans to institute new arrangements to monitor the welfare or population levels of the rural or urban fox, although it will retain an overview of these issues as part of its general animal welfare responsibilities.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases are before the courts on challenges to the accuracy of the test for bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: One farm business has issued legal proceedings against DEFRA, a date has yet to be set for the claim to be heard.
	Their claim for judicial review disputes the validity of the results of gamma interferon TB tests within their herds. The claimant is challenging DEFRA's decision not to re-test (using the tuberculin skin test) cattle within their herd that have had a positive reaction to the gamma interferon test. DEFRA has been put on notice that three other farm businesses are intending to issue proceedings on the same basis, but has agreed with those farmers that their animals will not be slaughtered pending the outcome of the judicial review. It is expected that this case will determine the issues in respect of all four complaints.

Cattle: Monitoring

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to introduce the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cattle monitoring system in England.

Jonathan R Shaw: I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS), introduced by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. We have no plans to introduce such a system in England.
	On 22 October 2003, the 10-year UK Veterinary Surveillance Strategy was launched. It stresses the importance of working in partnership to provide early warning and rapid detection of disease threats facing the UK. In putting the strategy into practice, the aim is to ensure that surveillance activities are prioritised openly and that a clear, well-defined international evidence base exists for all surveillance reports and recommendations. A further aim is to make best use of the surveillance information that we collect.
	The strategy reflects an extensive consultation process across the UK, involving colleagues in Government and the veterinary, farming and wildlife sectors. It is an integral part of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy launched in June 2004.

Crops: Imports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) soya bean meal and its derivatives and  (b) maize and its derivatives were imported into the UK from each supplying country for each year since 2001, separately identifying where appropriate any amounts which were from GM crops.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the volume of UK imports of soya bean meal, maize and derivatives from 2001 to November 2007 by country of despatch. It is not possible to separately identify commodities from GM crops in the official overseas trade statistics.
	
		
			  UK imports of Soya bean meal, Maize and derivatives, by country, 2001 to November 2007 
			  Tonnes 
			  Short description  Country  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 ( 4) 2007 
			 (1) France 1,143,881 1,226,021 1,178,052 1,049,825 1,164,396 900,435 784,875 
			 (1) Argentina 233,180 205,310 191,814 161,063 47,358 154,833 179,582 
			 (1) Irish Republic 28,773 74,028 99,501 51,680 72,464 100,590 83,557 
			 (1) Brazil 1 2 20,728 33,360 6 27 270,846 
			 (1) Belgium 133,258 38,841 6,313 7,798 8,504 15,114 13,781 
			 (1) Spain 12,647 21,265 17,443 13,349 106,639 26,240 17,041 
			 (1) Germany 28,022 20,628 18,642 20,954 26,814 19,296 17,384 
			 (1) Netherlands 28,945 17,354 10,374 11,114 18,449 19,447 22,101 
			 (1) U.S.A. 15,670 13,286 8,270 18,532 6,916 7,661 7,448 
			 (1) Italy 5,681 5,323 10,090 1,977 3,830 6,115 20,166 
			 (1) Canada 6,605 5,010 2,473 2,585 2,966 2,783 2,047 
			 (1) Denmark 567 4,839 972 1,131 1,235 2,586 1,440 
			 (1) South Africa 1,103 1,552 1,245 1,445 1,981 2,452 2,270 
			 (1) Romania   11   0 8,427 
			 (1) Finland 820  234 535 4,762 689 55 
			 (1) Other 3,912 5,644 8,553 7,109 6,624 7,236 13,036 
			  
			 (2) U.S.A. 45,081 27,576 22,803 20,503 37,376 67,457 10,392 
			 (2) Irish Republic 20,441 24,697 37,121 36,354 32,679 46,033 25,084 
			 (2) Netherlands 24,808 26,121 40,866 36,175 6,081 6,858 4,649 
			 (2) France 11,714 14,895 10,212 18,625 7,957 21,736 21,824 
			 (2) Spain   1,161 1,343 4,664 31,693 6 
			 (2) Germany 2,113 264 502 31 341 2,316 2,313 
			 (2) Belgium 123 3 183 3,141 532 13 174 
			 (2) Italy   994   238 - 
			 (2) South Africa   100 
			 (2) Canada1   66 
			 (2) Denmark 1 2  
			 (2) Other 6 1 30 1,999 170 688 851 
			  
			 (3) Brazil 933,020 921,417 1,078,338 911,632 861,645 698,952 520,987 
			 (3) Argentina 80,784 133,005 250,711 233,968 178,620 702,193 1,002,172 
			 (3) Netherlands 274,146 238,070 404,765 437,119 376,502 268,486 207,200 
			 (3) U.S.A. 38,813 46,213 8,900 121 29,604 68,398 25,264 
			 (3) British Virgin Islands70,752 41,283 40,682 31,498 
			 (3) Germany 24,901 22,373 11,511 650 17,700 18,115 37,294 
			 (3) Irish Republic 13,901 16,701 23,053 17,652 18,375 16,006 10,746 
			 (3) Switzerland   10,976 47,269 25,851  28,051 
			 (3) Belgium 30,532 11,148 8,850 35,293 11,797 2,254 10,627 
			 (3) Uruguay 7,403 29,757 7,687  31,517   
			 (3) China 4 21 22 6 39,673 4,217 12,883 
			 (3) Malaysia  1,074  19,082 10,989 5,317  
			 (3) Antigua and Barbuda   10,500 1,025 10,664  1,204 
			 (3) Norway 11,058 4,6891 600 
			 (3) Canada 58 1,634 6,075 
			 (3) Other 2,020 473 5,517 2,488 5,319 7,795 1,138 
			 (1) Maize (excluding Sweetcorn) for human consumption, including whole, rolled, flaked, hulled, pearled, clipped, sliced or kibbled; Flour, Groats and Meal of Maize; Seed Maize; prepared foods obtained form the swelling or roasting of maize. (2) Maize feedingstuff for animalsresidues of starch manufacture and similar residues from Maize; Bran; Sharps and residues of Maize. (3) Soya bean meal: Oilcake and other solid residues, resulting from the extraction of Soya-bean oil. (4) January to November  Source: H M Revenue and Customs Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, DEFRA 2007 data is subject to amendments Crown Copyright

Dairy Farming

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many holdings with dairy cows in each county in England there were in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the number of registered holdings in England with dairy cows from 2001 to 2006 by county/unitary authority.
	 Notes:
	1. Dairy cows are cows and heifers in the dairy herd which have calved.
	2. Estimates have been made for holdings not responding or not selected for the survey.
	 Source:
	June Agricultural Survey
	
		
			  Holdings in England with dairy cows by county/unitary authority 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees 17 14 14 14 (1) (1) 
			 South Teesside 35 30 27 27 24 24 
			 Darlington 24 21 (1) 19 (1) 15 
			 Durham CC 147 142 133 131 124 123 
			 Northumberland 109 100 98 93 97 102 
			 Tyneside (1) (1) (1) 6 (1) (1) 
			 Sunderland (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 0 
			 West Cumbria 322 468 476 465 451 469 
			 East Cumbria 695 869 875 855 835 809 
			 Halton and Warrington 19 (1) 16 15 (1) (1) 
			 Cheshire CC 1,111 1,018 963 937 887 880 
			 Greater Manchester South 34 30 25 25 24 24 
			 Greater Manchester North 119 96 89 88 85 87 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 35 30 (1) 28 (1) 22 
			 Blackpool 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Lancashire CC 1,081 952 914 880 847 849 
			 East Merseyside (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Liverpool (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 
			 Sefton (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Wirral 19 18 (1) 16 (1) 15 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 111 98 (1) 96 (1) 87 
			 North and North East Lincolnshire (1) (1) (1) 12 (1) (1) 
			 York 24 21 19 19 (1) 18 
			 North Yorkshire CC 1,207 1,121 1,070 1,012 977 965 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 116 105 100 100 94 92 
			 Sheffield 49 42 (1) 37 (1) 34 
			 Bradford 77 66 (1) 63 (1) 58 
			 Leeds 40 36 (1) 31 (1) 31 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 171 145 133 125 125 130 
			 Derby 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 East Derbyshire 125 112 106 104 106 96 
			 South and West Derbyshire 682 602 562 549 543 529 
			 Nottingham 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Nottinghamshire 79 76 68 64 66 62 
			 South Nottinghamshire (1) (1) (1) 45 (1) 47 
			 Leicester (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Leicestershire CC and Rutland 377 338 317 305 303 282 
			 Northamptonshire 117 103 95 89 87 82 
			 Lincolnshire 131 115 105 105 102 99 
			 Herefordshire, County of 249 228 (1) 221 (1) 228 
			 Worcestershire 237 221 (1) 199 187 177 
			 Warwickshire 242 210 198 192 175 184 
			 Telford and Wrekin 41 36 (1) 36 (1) 38 
			 Shropshire CC 875 807 778 751 723 730 
			 Stoke-on-Trent (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 14 
			 Staffordshire CC 1,088 998 945 921 896 869 
			 Birmingham (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Solihull 19 18 (1) 16 (1) 17 
			 Coventry (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Dudley and Sandwell 6 (1) (1) 5 (1) 5 
			 Walsall and Wolverhampton (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 0 
			 Peterborough (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Cambridgeshire CC 35 34 33 31 33 29 
			 Norfolk 186 173 158 145 144 146 
			 Suffolk 115 106 101 96 95 91 
			 Luton 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 
			 Bedfordshire CC 37 31 28 27 25 25 
			 Hertfordshire 55 50 41 40 39 38 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thurrock (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Essex CC 91 74 67 63 60 56 
			 Inner LondonWest 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Inner LondonEast 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Outer LondonEast and North East (1) 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Outer LondonSouth (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Outer LondonWest and North West (1) 7 (1) 7 (1) 7 
			 Berkshire 60 52 48 46 45 44 
			 Milton Keynes 10 (1) (1) 7 (1) 8 
			 Buckinghamshire CC 134 110 99 96 101 96 
			 Oxfordshire 161 138 120 116 112 118 
			 Brighton and Hove (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 East Sussex CC 162 138 125 124 119 113 
			 Surrey 102 92 83 82 86 77 
			 West Sussex 178 158 142 138 129 130 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 Southampton 0 0 0 0 (1) (1) 
			 Hampshire CC 269 242 227 221 199 198 
			 Isle of Wight 61 53 (1) 51 (1) 44 
			 Medway (1) (1) (1) 0 (1) 0 
			 Kent CC 167 138 129 129 128 120 
			 Bristol, City of 0 0 0 0 0 (1) 
			 North and N E Somerset, South Gloucestershire 357 328 310 306 288 279 
			 Gloucestershire 410 394 380 371 335 321 
			 Swindon 34 32 (1) 28 (1) 30 
			 Wiltshire CC 554 498 466 438 412 401 
			 Bournemouth and Poole (1) 0 (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Dorset CC 725 651 612 594 572 564 
			 Somerset 1,190 1,075 1,019 978 941 918 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 1,222 1,101 1,029 1,019 971 956 
			 Plymouth (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 0 
			 Torbay (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Devon CC 1,843 1,798 1,713 1,671 1,616 1,584 
			 England 18,125 16,897 16,027 15,554 14,980 14,772 
			 (1) Suppressed to prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings.  Note: Automated and manual processing systems used for protecting the confidentiality of individual holdings lead to differing patterns of suppression across the years.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what audits his Department and its agencies have carried out in relation to personal data and IT equipment in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's Internal Audit Division have not conducted any audits specifically focusing on personal data or IT equipment during the period. As departmental policy does not require business areas to undertake audits, information on any they may have carried out could not be collected without incurring disproportionate costs, but a thorough 'wall-to-wall' audit of IT equipment was carried out by IBM in October 2004 when ownership of DEFRA's IT equipment was transferred under the terms of the IT outsourcing contract.

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what requirements his Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department's IT services are provided mainly by IBM under an outsourcing arrangement. This contract includes provisions for DEFRA and its audit agents to have audit and access rights, including contractor premises, systems and records as may be required for the purposes of verifying the integrity, confidentiality and security of the Department's data and/or personal data.
	There are also provisions which require IBM and its sub-contractors to comply with all applicable parts of the Data Protection Acts, specifically the seventh data protection principle, which concerns the unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
	Other contracts awarded by DEFRA include standard terms and conditions which place obligations on contractors including requirements for access to audit and compliance with the Data Protection Acts as stated above.

Departmental ICT

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) male and  (b) female members of staff in his Department were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows how many  (a) male and  (b) female members of staff, where known, were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001.
	
		
			  Date acquired  (a) Male  (b) Female  Unknown  Total 
			 200026 January 2005(1) 40 12 31 83 
			 2005 (from 27 January 2005)(1) 15 10 6 31 
			 2006 27 25 7 59 
			 2007 13 5 13 31 
			 Total 95 52 57 204 
			 (1) PDAs purchased prior to 27 January 2005 do not have a purchase date recorded against their entry within the asset management tool and have been given a default acquired date of 1 January 2000.

Departmental ICT

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost was of each of the five largest IT contracts awarded in 2007 by his Department; and what the actual cost has been.

Jonathan R Shaw: IT services and provision was outsourced to IBM in October 2004. IT projects that previously would have required the award of a contract are now, in the main, handled through these arrangements.
	However, in March 2007 a new contract was awarded to Atos. The project started in April 2007 and relates to the Genesis application which handles environmental stewardship payments for land managers. The cost of this contract is 21 million over five years. Actual spend during the first year is 500,000 lower than forecast.
	Details of IT contracts awarded by the Department's wider Network are not held centrally. Further information would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's personal digital assistants were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each of the last five years; and what the value of those items was.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following figures show the reported number of thefts/losses of personal digital assistants from April 2003 onwards:
	
		
			   Personal digital assistants including Blackberry devices 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 (1) 1 
			 2005-06 (1) 1 
			 2006-07 (1) 8 
			 2007-08 to date (1) 1 
			 (1) Following the outsourcing of IT services to IBM in October 2004, IT equipment is no longer classed as a departmental asset as it forms part of the overall contract for the provision of IT services. All IT equipment therefore belongs to IBM. However, in an effort to reduce the losses of portable IT equipment, advice and guidance on the security of portable IT equipment is made available to staff.  There were no reported losses of any personal data.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) press and  (b) communications officers his Department employed in each year since establishment.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of Press Officers in Core DEFRA is tabulated, with the census point for the number of Press Officers, taken as June for each year. The staffing numbers for the Press Office fluctuate during the course of any one year.
	The figures in the table exclude numbers for ancillary or support staff, but numbers have varied, ranging from 3 to 7 during the review period.
	
		
			  Staff numbers as at June  Press Officers 
			 2001 22 
			 2002 22 
			 2003 22 
			 2004 18 
			 2005 24 
			 2006 24 
			 2007 20 
		
	
	The DEFRA Press Office provides services for the Central Science Laboratory, Government Decontamination Service, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Pesticide Safety Directorate, Veterinary Laboratory Agency, and Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
	The number of staff employed in the Press Offices of each of the remaining DEFRA agencies of CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences) and the Rural Payments Agency, in each year since 2001 is tabulated, with the number of ancillary support staff in brackets (The RPA did not have any ancillary staff associated with the Press Office).
	
		
			  Agency  CEFAS  RPA 
			 2001 0.02 0.2 
			 2002 0.03 0.2 
			 2003 0.03 0.2 
			 2004 0.68 0.2 
			 2005 1.0 (0.16) 0.2 
			 2006 1.0 (0.24) 1.0 
			 2007 1.0 2.0 
		
	
	In addition to support from the DEFRA Press Office, Animal Health (formerly the State Veterinary Service) employs a Head of Communications and an External Communications Manager.
	The White Book of contacts in Government departments and agencies contains listings for DEFRA and is updated twice yearly.

Farms

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms there were in each county in England in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the number of registered holdings at June each year for 2001 to 2006 by county/unitary authority.
	
		
			  Holdings in England by county/unitary authority 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees 285 301 297 297 293 302 
			 South Teesside 241 254 261 268 276 284 
			 Darlington 256 269 270 277 281 289 
			 Durham CC 2,382 2,499 2,538 2,591 2,655 2,781 
			 Northumberland 2,574 2,669 2,701 2,728 2,777 2,905 
			 Tyneside 270 264 265 278 282 283 
			 Sunderland 65 65 65 64 72 78 
			 West Cumbria 2,372 2,455 2,493 2,549 2,572 2,802 
			 East Cumbria 5,071 5,245 5,356 5,396 5,419 5,717 
			 Halton and Warrington 265 276 280 280 285 282 
			 Cheshire CC 4,803 5,135 5,216 5,226 5,265 5,351 
			 Greater Manchester South 473 500 500 508 509 498 
			 Greater Manchester North 1,196 1,257 1,253 1,241 1,254 1,257 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 263 288 299 297 297 312 
			 Blackpool 39 42 46 44 46 46 
			 Lancashire CC 6,076 6,420 6,437 6,507 6,531 6,631 
			 East Merseyside 227 234 239 237 237 237 
			 Liverpool 11 14 12 11 11 13 
			 Sefton 123 131 128 129 130 143 
			 Wirral 130 136 137 141 145 148 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 13 16 16 17 20 16 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2,909 3,050 3,085 3,124 3,140 3,108 
			 North and North East Lincolnshire 968 1,039 1,040 1,038 1,023 998 
			 York 426 448 445 438 439 432 
			 North Yorkshire CC 9,612 10,109 10,244 10,324 10,370 10,711 
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 1,431 1,498 1,530 1,550 1,547 1,529 
			 Sheffield 303 335 349 372 364 372 
			 Bradford 884 968 979 997 1,002 1,002 
			 Leeds 663 716 714 706 707 731 
			 Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 2,450 2,691 2,695 2,722 2,715 2,700 
			 Derby 31 33 38| 36 35 45 
			 East Derbyshire 955 1,008 1,033 1,030 1,055 1,080 
			 South and West Derbyshire 3,636 3,853 3,926 3,992 4,092 4,361 
			 Nottingham 8 8 10 11 13 14 
			 North Nottinghamshire 1,582 1,663 1,667 1,687 1,732 1,767 
			 South Nottinghamshire 770 799 814 810 823 862 
			 Leicester 12 11 14 15 19 22 
			 Leicestershire CC and Rutland 3,362 3,548 3,589 3,638 3,661 3,880 
			 Northamptonshire 2,406 2,529 2,537 2,577 2,659 2,800 
			 Lincolnshire 6,335 6,571 6,553 6,565 6,615 6,742 
			 Herefordshire, County of 4,303 4,574 4,631 4,704 4,825 5,066 
			 Worcestershire 3,677 3,955 3,980 4,033 4,090 4,137 
			 Warwickshire 2,804 2,950 2,971 3,037 3,070 3,074 
			 Telford and Wrekin 340 364 377 386 401 395 
			 Shropshire CC 5,840 6,205 6,274 6,349 6,524 6,544 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 73 82 80 85 87 104 
			 Staffordshire CC 5,682 6,038 6,105 6,138 6,246 6,271 
			 Birmingham 50 53 55 61 63 66 
			 Solihull 258 270 270 282 284 287 
			 Coventry 75 82 84 91 89 102 
			 Dudley and Sandwell 56 63 63 74 82 70 
			 Walsall and Wolverhampton 88 89 87 88 90 95 
			 Peterborough 242 240 243 247 256 275 
			 Cambridgeshire CC 3,307 3,345 3,414 3,403 3,471 3,459 
			 Norfolk 6,293 6,511 6,589 6,751 6,783 6,658 
			 Suffolk 4,390 4,610 4,764 4,862 4,975 4,954 
			 Luton 8 8 7 7 10 9 
			 Bedfordshire CC 1,345 1,402 1,414 1,429 1,407 1,410 
			 Hertfordshire 1,470 1,544 1,590 1,629 1,657 1,637 
			 Southend-on-Sea (1) (1) (1) 5 (1) 5 
			 Thurrock (1) (1) (1) 121 (1) 121 
			 Essex CC 3,886 4,100 4,161 4,175 4,232 4,151 
			 Inner LondonWest 5 6 10 9 14 33 
			 Inner LondonEast 10 14 15 13 15 20 
			 Outer LondonEast and North East 148 161 160 164 164 164 
			 Outer LondonSouth 159 173 178 161 168 177 
			 Outer LondonWest and North West 112 118 127 132 140 137 
			 Berkshire 984 1,076 1,091 1,136 1,138 1,183 
			 Milton Keynes 222 233 237 240 242 274 
			 Buckinghamshire CC 1,993 2,094 2,134 2,164 2,205 2,312 
			 Oxfordshire 2,511 2,614 2,634 2,662 2,783 2,910 
			 Brighton and Hove 26 30 3,036 38 45  
			 East Sussex CC 2,857 3,048 3,078 3,158 3,288 3,363 
			 Surrey 2,043 2,180 2,239 2,207 2,290 2,292 
			 West Sussex 2,460 2,600 26,43 2,673 2,764 2,822 
			 Portsmouth 6 9 9 10 10 12 
			 Southampton 33 36 35 38 39 32 
			 Hampshire CC 3,740 3,969 4,285 4,302 4,320 4,558 
			 Isle of Wight 605 645 680 689 709 713 
			 Medway 108 115 123 134 131 123 
			 Kent CC 4,873 5,323 5,511 5,538 5,600 5,696 
			 Bristol, City of 55 62 68 74 77 94 
			 North and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire 2,592 2,789 2,841 2,865 2,929 3,007 
			 Gloucestershire 4,483 4,797 4,829 4,874 4,982 5,068 
			 Swindon 219 231 231 236 231 241 
			 Wiltshire CC 3,633 3,839 3,864 3,909 3,960 4,059 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 38 35 36 36 44 46 
			 Dorset CC 3,713 3,968 3,979 4,076 4,169 4,349 
			 Somerset 7,516 8,016 8,212 8,312 8,551 8,869 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 8,393 8,842 8,956 8,997 9,066 9,208 
			 Plymouth 38 40 40 45 46 48 
			 Torbay 52 60 56 60 63 72 
			 Devon CC 141,291 14,794 15,001 15,199 155,961 16,033 
			 England 177,934 187,871 190,687 192,824 1959,081 200,381 
			 (1) Suppressed to prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings in the East of England region.  Source: June Agricultural Survey

Floods

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish a break down of funding allocated to implement the final recommendations of the Pitt Report; and how such figures were calculated.

Phil Woolas: As I said to the DEFRA Committee on 6 February 2008, my intention with this provision was simply prudent planning to ensure we had a pot of money to implement Sir Michael's final report when it is available.

Kent

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funds in the form of  (a) revenue payments,  (b) capital grants and  (c) supported borrowing for which his Department is responsible have been made available to (i) Kent county council, (ii) Thanet district council and (iii) Dover district council in 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: The funds made available in 2007-08 by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to these three councils are identified in the tables as follows.
	 (a) Revenue Payments
	
		
			  Description  Amount ()  Council 
			 Animal Health Framework Agreement 206,990 Kent county council 
			 Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant 1,406,715 Kent county council 
		
	
	 (b) Capital Grants
	
		
			  Description  Amount ()  Council 
			 Kingsdown Beach Management Plan 222,592 Dover district council 
			 Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant 1,406,715 Kent county council 
		
	
	The revenue and capital funds made available under the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant (WPEG) represent an aggregate allocation for Kent county council and all the district councils in the Kent area. WPEG is linked to local area agreements in 2007-08 and allocations for all county and district councils are therefore paid as an aggregate sum for collective investment.
	 (c) No funds have been made available in the form of supported borrowing.

Livestock

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department finalised its guidance on the new rules for sheep and goat identification.

Jonathan R Shaw: Guidance was finalised towards the end of 2007. It could not be finalised sooner because the consultation on the double tagging of sheep and goats did not conclude until 20 November. Guidance was distributed to all sheep and goat keepers on 4 January.

Livestock

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time provided for the sheep and goat industry to prepare for the implementation of the livestock movements, identification and tracing: sheep and goats scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The derogation from double tagging of sheep was lost because of a high rate of non-compliance with the derogated rules by livestock keepers. Had we not acted quickly to introduce double tagging, sheep keepers throughout the UK could have faced disallowance for failure to comply with the rules set out in EU legislation. The consultation period given was therefore the maximum that could reasonably have been permitted in the circumstances.

Livestock: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on developing common policies on reduction of bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: Responsibility for bovine TB (bTB) is fully devolved and bTB policy in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly alone. However, both DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government, along with the Scottish Government, were signatories to the Government Strategic Framework for the Sustainable Control of bovine TB in GB. In the spirit of the framework officials in my Department are in regular contact with those in the Welsh Assembly Government on the issue.

Meat Products: Imports

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of meat of each type was imported from each country of despatch into the UK in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following tables show the volume of imports of meat to the United Kingdom from 2002 to November 2007 by country of despatch.
	
		
			  Imports of beef and veal into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Irish Republic 122.0 149.4 159.6 136.5 145.0 130.8 
			 Brazil 19.1 32.1 34.6 32.2 28.4 24.5 
			 Netherlands 13.9 20.2 17.1 12.7 12.9 13.9 
			 Germany 6.7 10.9 10.1 9.2 11.0 11.9 
			 Argentina 18.3 9.4 8.6 9.2 5.1 3.2 
			 Uruguay 11.7 6.3 5.6 6.9 7.6 8.5 
			 Namibia 6.7 6.6 6.2 5.9 3.5 4.5 
			 France 4.5 12.3 6.8 3.8 2.7 2.4 
			 Australia 5.5 4.3 5.3 4.7 6.2 3.1 
			 Botswana 5.5 5.2 4.8 3.5 2.4 3.8 
			 Italy 3.8 3.1 9.1 4.0 2.3 1.4 
			 Belgium 3.6 2.7 4.8 3.9 2.4 2.4 
			 Denmark 2.1 1.7 2.7 2.1 1.7 1.4 
			 Poland 0.3 0.2 2.7 3.4 1.5 1.5 
			 Spain 1.0 3.3 1.8 0.8 0.5 0.5 
			 Other 1.4 1.6 0.8 1.3 2.5 2.4 
			 Total 226.1 269.4 280.6 239.9 235.7 216.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of beef products (including corned beef) into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Irish Republic 32.9 52.6 53.1 76.5 65.8 44.1 
			 Brazil 52.6 53.5 58.7 53.2 50.3 55.5 
			 Argentina 5.3 5.9 8.9 7.3 4.9 6.6 
			 Uruguay 3.3 4.4 4.2 5.0 4.8 3.1 
			 Netherlands 3.1 3.4 2.8 3.4 2.6 2.4 
			 Denmark 1.7 1.7 3.6 2.0 2.2 2.0 
			 France 1.5 1.3 1.5 1.7 3.2 2.9 
			 Belgium 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.5 2.1 2.2 
			 Germany 0.8 0.6 0.8 2.0 2.6 2.3 
			 Botswana 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			 Other 1.5 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.4 1.2 
			 Total 104.5 126.0 136.7 153.9 140.1 122.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of pork into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Denmark 112.3 130.2 142.3 182.2 204.7 171.1 
			 Netherlands 30.6 68.4 59.1 51.8 57.2 49.3 
			 Germany 25.1 45.5 42.1 41.1 51.7 51.1 
			 Irish Republic 46.6 42.9 36.7 38.9 34.6 33.5 
			 France 30.2 41.7 40.8 43.8 35.4 32.9 
			 Belgium 20.8 31.4 34.6 40.9 41.3 42.1 
			 Spain 6.4 12.3 17.4 23.4 21.8 17.5 
			 U.S.A. 1.7 3.3 4.2 3.0 4.5 3.1 
			 Poland 0.0 0.2 1.6 2.1 3.5 5.7 
			 Italy 1.3 1.2 0.7 1.0 1.3 2.5 
			 Other 1.0 3.4 4.1 3.7 2.6 3.7 
			 Total 275.9 380.5 383.5 432.0 458.8 412.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of bacon and ham into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Netherlands 139.2 150.2 158.9 140.4 118.3 122.4 
			 Denmark 115.5 114.2 97.9 95.7 91.3 77.9 
			 Germany 2.5 4.4 9.5 17.6 29.6 29.5 
			 France 21.0 16.5 15.4 10.9 7.4 6.2 
			 Italy 4.3 6.9 10.8 9.8 10.6 7.9 
			 Irish Republic 5.9 6.3 5.3 3.6 3.2 2.4 
			 Belgium 2.7 4.2 3.3 2.4 2.6 2.2 
			 Spain 0.5 0.4 0.5 2.5 0.7 0.5 
			 Poland   0.1 0.2 0.1 0.6 
			 Portugal  0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Other 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 
			 Total 291.6 303.2 301.7 283.4 264.0 249.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of lamb and mutton into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 New Zealand 76.8 81.0 82.1 79.2 83.2 80.9 
			 Australia 12.1 12.3 13.3 13.3 13.6 11.8 
			 Irish Republic 2.4 4.5 7.6 8.4 6.5 7.0 
			 Spain 1.8 1.6 2.8 2.4 2.5 2.5 
			 Netherlands 3.8 4.7 3.5 0.1 0.3 0.2 
			 France 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.4 2.2 1.3 
			 Uruguay 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 
			 Argentina 0.3 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.2 0.9 
			 Germany 0.7 1.1 0.4 0.5 0.9 0.6 
			 Belgium 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 1.0 0.5 
			 Other 0.5 1.2 1.7 1.1 1.2 1.8 
			 Total 101.8 111.5 116.2 110.1 113.8 108.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of poultrymeat (including poultry offal) into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Netherlands 145.0 146.6 155.9 158.6 164.0 157.8 
			 France 54.1 45.5 46.9 50.9 45.8 32.8 
			 Germany 23.8 25.4 27.3 26.5 28.3 29.1 
			 Brazil 15.5 18.8 39.9 51.2 19.7 11.2 
			 Belgium 16.3 18.4 18.5 24.1 25.3 19.9 
			 Irish Republic 13.8 16.3 22.8 19.7 22.5 25.4 
			 Poland 1.0 5.9 16.2 22.5 23.7 27.7 
			 Denmark 16.9 16.2 11.4 10.6 9.9 9.6 
			 Italy 10.8 8.9 9.3 13.9 14.6 7.3 
			 Portugal 0.2 12.3 22.8 4.4 4.5 2.2 
			 Chile 1.0 3.8 4.5 8.4 8.7 8.0 
			 Hungary 2.4 5.4 6.6 6.5 8.1 4.9 
			 Spain 7.8 7.4 6.5 4.5 2.4 2.0 
			 Thailand 7.1 11.3 2.6 0.0   
			 Argentina 0.5 1.8 1.3 1.8 1.2 2.8 
			 Other 0.7 2.7 3.9 2.9 2.9 3.5 
			 Total 317.1 346.6 396.4 406.4 381.7 344.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of poultry products into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Thailand 26.7 34.8 43.4 69.3 86.8 91.1 
			 Irish Republic 28.1 39.1 37.5 37.1 35.6 38.4 
			 Netherlands 18.5 17.3 19.6 27.1 28.2 27.1 
			 Brazil 16.1 20.5 10.4 11.1 9.4 13.4 
			 Belgium 9.5 10.0 10.9 12.4 12.1 10.3 
			 France 9.3 9.4 12.9 9.6 11.8 9.1 
			 Germany 5.6 9.3 11.5 13.3 10.1 7.3 
			 Hungary 1.5 1.1 2.1 4.4 12.1 7.6 
			 Portugal 0.0 1.1 4.3 2.9 3.1 3.7 
			 Italy 0.8 3.7 2.6 1.2 1.3 1.7 
			 Poland 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.8 2.7 5.0 
			 Denmark 1.1 1.6 2.7 0.8 1.0 0.5 
			 Croatia 0.9 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 
			 Sweden 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.9 2.1 
			 Chile 1.4 1.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.1 
			 Other 3.1 2.7 2.0 0.7 1.1 1.4 
			 Total 122.8 153.3 161.7 192.3 217.4 219.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of edible offal into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Irish Republic 6.8 25.4 20.4 24.3 20.9 14.4 
			 Denmark 12.6 13.9 15.4 14.7 14.0 10.1 
			 New Zealand 10.1 11.9 11.4 13.2 11.1 10.8 
			 Netherlands 4.7 5.5 6.1 5.1 4.2 4.1 
			 France 2.7 2.7 2.0 2.3 2.7 2.1 
			 Germany 2.5 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.2 1.2 
			 Australia 1.1 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.4 1.8 
			 Belgium 0.4 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.6 
			 Italy 0.0 2.8 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 Sweden 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.3 
			 Other 1.1 0.9 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.1 
			 Total 42.6 67.5 61.7 65.9 58.9 46.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of sausages and related products into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  Thousand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Jan uary -Nov ember  2007 
			 Netherlands 16.3 15.4 17.6 15.9 34.4 17.6 
			 Germany 11.4 17.0 16.6 16.7 17.4 20.8 
			 Brazil 28.8 11.9   5.7 16.3 
			 Irish Republic 6.1 6.8 10.3 8.4 12.8 13.1 
			 France 15.2 6.9 8.7 8.2 9.1 4.8 
			 Denmark 2.4 2.6 6.0 5.9 5.0 5.6 
			 Italy 6.6 3.5 2.1 2.2 3.2 2.9 
			 Belgium 2.0 2.1 1.3 2.1 3.8 4.9 
			 Spain 1.1 1.2 1.6 1.8 2.3 2.7 
			 Poland 0.2 0.3 0.6 1.4 3.3 4.7 
			 Other 10.3 3.1 1.1 1.1 2.2 1.4 
			 Total 100.3 70.8 66.0 63.6 99.0 94.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Imports of other meat products into the UK 2002 to November 2007 
			  T housand tonnes 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  January-November 2007 
			 Denmark 19.7 16.2 17.1 18.5 16.2 10.9 
			 Irish Republic 11.2 10.9 16.6 13.0 15.5 13.5 
			 Netherlands 8.0 6.8 7.1 5.7 6.5 4.6 
			 Germany 2.0 3.4 5.2 5.4 5.8 7.2 
			 Belgium 3.3 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.1 5.0 
			 France 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.4 3.9 3.3 
			 Poland 1.8 2.0 2.6 1.4 2.0 11.0 
			 Italy 0.9 0.9 1.9 2.8 3.2 5.8 
			 Sweden 0.5 0.7 0.4 2.3 1.3 0.5 
			 Thailand 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 
			 Other 0.8 1.0 1.3 1.7 2.0 3.1 
			 Total 52.9 50.5 60.8 58.8 61.3 65.5 
			  Source: H M Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by Trade statistics, Agricultural Statistics and Analysis Division, 2007 data is subject to amendments.

Pigeons: Licensing

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a licence is required to  (a) breed and  (b) keep racing pigeons.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not require the breeding and keeping of pigeons to be licensed. However, advice about biosecurity and preventing disease is available for all bird keepers on the DEFRA website or from local Animal Health Offices.

Sheep: Ear Tagging

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on double-tagging upland sheep; and what estimate his Department has made of the likely financial effects on hill farmers of the double-tagging system.

Jonathan R Shaw: In accordance with EU legislation, all sheep which are not intended for slaughter within 12 months of age must be double tagged. In England, the rules apply to sheep and goats born on or after 11 January 2008 and those not officially identified by that date.
	An impact assessment on the introduction in England of double tagging of sheep and goats was prepared. This has been placed in the Library of the House.

Sugar: Quotas

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce his decision on sugar quota levels.

Jonathan R Shaw: We informed British Sugar on 6 February 2008 that the Rural Payments Agency has approved an application from the company for restructuring aid. This was based on the renunciation of 13.5 per cent. of its white sugar production quota, amounting to 165,000 tonnes, and the full dismantling of the York sugar factory.

Wines

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what restrictions apply to the sale of lower alcohol wine  (a) within the UK and  (b) elsewhere in the EU produced (i) in the UK, (ii) elsewhere in the EU, (iii) in the USA and (iv) in other countries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will review the restrictions on the sale of lower alcohol wines in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The minimum permitted alcohol content for wine produced and marketed in the EU is laid down in the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for Wine (Council Regulation (EEC) 1493/99). The requirements vary according to the type of wine and the region of production. Wines imported into the EU are, in general, subject to the same requirements, although a number of countries, including the US, have concluded bilateral agreements, which provide for wine produced in conformity with national standards to be imported and marketed in the EU.
	The agreement reached in December 2007 on a new wine CMO will provide, in due course, for a streamlining of the process of adopting new wine making techniques in the EU. The UK will continue to press for the consideration and the adoption of internationally recognised alcohol reduction techniques, and thereby allow EU wine producers the ability to utilise these processes in the production and marketing of their wines in the EU.

World War II: Medals

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for the Women's Land Army and Timber Corps badges his Department expects to receive.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 18 February 2008
	The enthusiasm for the badges has been high. We have currently received approximately 9,000 applications and expect this to increase significantly.

World War II: Medals

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the design of the badge for Women in the Land Army to be finalised.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 18 February 2008
	The design of the badge has now been finalised.

World War II: Medals

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the design of the badge for Women in the Land Army cost; and how much was spent on the design for each of the previous three commissioned badges.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Women's Land Army badge cost 1,100. This is, and has been, the only badge awarded by DEFRA.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will answer Question 180776, tabled on 16 January by the hon. Member for Southend West; what the reason is for the time taken to reply; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I regret the delay in answering the hon. Member for Southend West, this was due to an administrative oversight. The question was answered on 7 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1341W.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the value of deposits in dormant bank accounts in the United Kingdom; and what steps his Department has taken to inform the public of the funds in these dormant bank accounts.

Angela Eagle: The Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Bill is currently before Parliament. It broadly defines a dormant account as a bank or building society account where there has been no customer-initiated activity for a period of at least 15 years. On this basis, an assessment by banks and building societies suggests that between 250 million and 350 million lies currently unclaimed in banks, and up to 150 million unclaimed in the building society sector.
	The Government have encouraged the sector to build on its pre-existing arrangements to reunite dormant account holders with their money. The Government welcome the response of the industry and in particular the publicised launch of mylostaccount.org.uk by the British Bankers' Association, Building Societies Association and National Savings and Investments in January. The Government also welcome the commitment of individual banks and building societies to undertake proactive search activity throughout 2008 and up to the introduction of the scheme.

Departmental Buildings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fees were paid to private contractors for the operation and maintenance of his Department's buildings in the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury building at 1 Horse Guards road operates and is maintained under a PFI contract. The annual unitary payment made under that contract is 14.037 million at March 1999 prices. The Treasury building at Rosebery Court in Norwich operates and is maintained under an OGCbuying.solutions framework contract. Payments made under that contract in the 12 months from September 2006 totalled some 814,000.

Departmental Information Officers

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many press and communications officers were employed by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The number of press officers employed within the Chancellor's Department continues to be 10 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Currently HMT employs nine full time press officers and will be recruiting to fill the vacancy.
	The figure for the Office of Government Commerce is two FTEs.

Dorneywood

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use civil servants in his Department have made of Dorneywood in the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1077W. Ministers and civil servants have used Dorneywood for official events over the past 12 months. Dorneywood is held in trust for use as an official residence, as has been the case under successive Administrations. It is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and is also available to Ministers and their civil servants for official engagements. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such engagements.

Food: Prices

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of recent increases in food prices on the stability of the economy.

Angela Eagle: Overall, CPI inflation has remained very close to its 2 per cent. target in recent months, despite the peak in food price inflation. The Government will publish their latest assessment of recent economic developments and prospects in the Financial Statement and Budget Report on 12 March, in the normal way.

Inflation

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1198W to Question 184207, on inflation, if he will calculate the likely effect on the overall rate of inflation of increasing the police force's net pay by  (a) 2.5 per cent. and  (b) 1.9 per cent. over the next two years.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 18 February 2008
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1198W.

Network Rail: Fines

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department received in fines levied on Network Rail in each year since its inception; and what his policy is on re-allocating such monies.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 22 January 2008
	 The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has imposed penalties totalling 2.65 million on Network Rail in the last three years.
	When a private sector body is fined the receipt does not benefit the budget of the individual body that imposed the fine, instead it returns to the Consolidated Fund and benefits public sector finances.

Pay: Public Sector

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Langley) of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1567-69W, on Pay: Public Sector, when he expects data for 2007 to be available.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the average earnings index is publicly available from the Office of National Statistics at www.statistics.gov.uk. The average earnings index is found within the monthly release of the Labour Market Statistics. The most recent edition (January) of the Labour Market Statistics can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/lmsuk0108.pdf

Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of each grant provided by his Department, its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies to  (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council,  (b) Shropshire County Council and  (c) Telford and the Wrekin Borough Council in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and what grants have been planned for 2008-09.

Yvette Cooper: The Treasury does not give grants to individual local authorities. Information on grants provided by the Department's agencies and non- departmental public bodies is held by the bodies themselves. This information is not held centrally.

Smuggling: Animal Products

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been allocated to tackle illegal imports of products of animal origin in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have significantly increased the amount of money available to tackle illegal imports of Products of Animal Origin (POAO), plants and Plant Based Goods (PBG).
	An extra 26 million was spent over the three years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. This money was split between DEFRA, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as shown as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			   HMRC( 1)  FSA( 2)  DEFRA( 3) 
			 2003-04 4 1.5 0.5 
			 2004-05 7 2 1 
			 2005-06 7 2 1 
			 (1) Enforcement and publicity (2) Step change project with local/port health authorities (3) Publicity and risk assessment 
		
	
	From 2006-07 HMRC has continued to fund its enforcement activities in line with public service agreement target commitments. Funding continues to be available for DEFRA to examine the risks and help increase public awareness (500,000 in 2006-07 and 590,590 in 2007-08), and for the FSA for work on inland controls.

Smuggling: Meat

James Paice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seizures of illegal meat imported into the UK were made in each year since 2001, broken down by  (a) country of origin and  (b) product type; and what the total weight seized in each year was.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, the number of seizures of illegal meat was 1,242 and Weight (kg) was 18,955. Statistics by specific region are not available for that period.
	Seizures of illegal meat for 2002 to 2007 are listed by region in the following table.
	
		
			1 April to 31 March each year 
			2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Region ID  Region name  Number of seizures  Wgt (kg)  Number of seizures  Wgt (kg)  Number of seizures  Wgt (kg)  Number of seizures  Wgt (kg)  Number of times seized  Wgt (kg)  Vol (ltrs) 
			 1 Eastern Europe 343 1,998 838 4,479 1,487 5,355 2,734 11,261 3,125 11,040.98 9,920 
			 2 Eastern Africa 91 679 243 2,684 286 2,574 656 5,484 647 3,343.27 0 
			 3 North Africa 10 14,119 53 361 113 617 263 1,179 394 1,225.29 1,200 
			 4 Central Africa 14 148 61 550 78 573 97 511 130 730.54 2,000 
			 5 Southern Africa 542 1,536 1,004 2,235 1,181 2,699 1,541 2,352 1,625 2,359.40 1,550 
			 6 Western Africa 532 3,331 910 34,267 1,492 10,664 1,915 11,639 2,059 8,918.23 2,640 
			 7 North America 124 298 402 2,706 720 2,333 693 1,647 656 1,427.28 256 
			 8 Caribbean 237 826 279 1,617 451 2,171 567 2,320 722 2,215.70 0 
			 9 Central and South America 43 183 102 346 132 544 175 2,037 252 2,799.13 0 
			 10 Eastern Asia 549 5,182 1,486 9,664 2,807 23,662 3,471 41,618 5,795 18,735.59 2,380 
			 11 Southern Asia 132 501 319 1,709 633 3,002 757 4,208 1,205 7,746.80 1 
			 12 South East Asia 32 107 85 212 179 486 143 1,715 184 380.67 0 
			 13 Near and Middle East 235 1,421 760 10,364 1,133 14,484 1,527 18,401 2,100 9,579.50 400 
			 14 Oceania 31 503 127 326 131 411 124 453 80 17,698.86 0 
			 15 European 19 52 60 714 8 7,943 7 30 14 65.84 0 
			 16 Unknown 52 417 81 500 156 1,146 156 1,280 266 2,059.64 520 
			 Total  2,986 31,301 6,810 72,734 10,987 78,664 14,826 106,135 19,254 90,326.72 20,867 
		
	
	The following should be noted:
	(a) The aforementioned table shows by specific region the number, weight and volume of seizures of meat made from non-EU countries by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at British points of entry (and by staff funded by DEFRA until 11 April 2003), those made by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland (DARDNI) at points of entry in Northern Ireland and those made by inland local/port health authorities where they were able to establish that the illegal products came from non-EU countries. HMRC have been responsible for anti-smuggling controls on products of animal origin (POAO) into Britain since 11 April 2003.
	On occasions more than one POAO product at a time will be seized (for example, meat, fish, dairy and honey). This is referred to as a 'multiple seizure'. Up until 31 March 2006, this was only recorded as one seizure against the product of highest weight although the weight of the other products seized was included in the weight recorded for that product. However, the number of seizures by product for the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 reflect the number of times each product was seized including those from a 'multiple seizure'.
	(b) Seizures of illegal meat imported into the United Kingdom (UK) are recorded by region rather than specific country. This is because in some cases it can be difficult to determine the precise country of origin for a particular product and people can often travel to the UK via another country (for example to catch a direct connecting flight to the UK). What is clear is that illegal imports of meat (and other products of animal origin) enter the UK from all over the world.
	(c) Seizure figures are not recorded at the level of detail to determine the type of product (for example, chicken, pork etc.).

HEALTH

Agency Nurses: Pay

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the highest hourly rate paid to agency nurses by the NHS was in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally as it is an operational matter for national health service trusts.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) male and  (b) female binge drinkers, according to the definition of binge drinking used in the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, there were in each year since 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) general household survey provides an estimate of the percentage of men and women who drank more than twice the daily recommendations (three to four units per day for men, two to three units per day for women) on at least one day in the previous week, a measure of binge drinking.
	On the method for estimating consumption formerly used by the ONS, in 2004, 22 per cent. of men and 9 per cent. of women drank more than twice the daily recommendations on at least one day in the previous week.
	In 2005, 19 per cent. of men and 8 per cent. of women drank more than twice the daily recommendations. For 2006, this figure was 18 per cent. of men and 8 per cent. of women.
	In December 2007, the ONS described improvements in the ONS method for estimating alcohol consumption. The improved method takes account of increases in the alcoholic strength of wine, the sizes of glass used and uses better estimates of the alcoholic strength of beers, lagers and ciders.
	Using the improved methodology, in both 2005 and 2006, 23 per cent. of men and 15 per cent. of women drank more than twice the daily recommendations on at least one day in the previous week. The figures for 2004 have not been recalculated according to the new methodology.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related categories are in use for assessing accident and emergency admissions.

Dawn Primarolo: The individual diagnosis codes currently used by the Information Centre for health and social care to define 'alcohol related conditions' for hospital admissions are:
	F10 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	K70 Alcoholic liver disease
	T51 Toxic effect of alcohol
	Of these, the categories used by the Information Centre for health and social care to define 'admissions to hospital via accident and emergency' (A and E) are:
	21 = Emergency: via A and E services, including the casualty department of the provider
	28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A and E department of another health care provider
	 Notes:
	The Information Centre for health and social care cannot provide data on A and E attendances and when data is provided for 'admissions to hospital via A and E' it is explicitly for in-patient admissions to hospital when they are admitted from category 21 and category 28.

Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 991W, on cancer, how many  (a) elective and  (b) emergency bed days for cancer (i) in total and (ii) for each cancer type there were in 2006-07; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the trends in (A) elective and (B) emergency bed days for cancer since 1997-98; and what his latest estimate is of the average cost of (1) an elective and (2) an emergency admission for cancer (x) overall and (y) for each cancer type in the latest year for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Information on elective and emergency bed days in 2006-07, broken down by cancer type is not currently available.
	The latest year for which cost estimates are available for cancer admissions is 2005-06.
	The following table provides the average cost of an elective and an emergency admission for all cancers and for each cancer type in the latest year for which figures are available. Note that this includes day cases, which are within the definition of an admission, but exclude regular day and regular night attenders which are not defined as admissions. Figures are in 2005-06 prices.
	
		
			   
			  Cancer site  Average cost per elective admission  Average cost per non-elective admission 
			 Endocrine System 1,022 2,855 
			 Gynaecology 1,741 3,035 
			 Haematology 1,139 3,342 
			 Head and neck 753 3,233 
			 Lower gastrointestinal 2,239 3,925 
			 Metastases 1,170 4,286 
			 Multiple ICD10 codes 1,063 3,259 
			 Musculoskeletal 1,483 3,705 
			 Neurology 1,701 3,127 
			 Other cancer 2,860 4,409 
			 Skin 1,254 4,024 
			 Thorax 908 3,329 
			 Upper gastrointestinal 1,053 3,400 
			 Urology 1,209 3,626 
			 All cancers 1,165 3,334

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women aged 25 to 35 years of age have attended a routine smear test in the last 12 months, broken down by primary care trust area.

Ann Keen: Cervical screening attendance data is collected in five-year age bands, starting at 20-24, we are therefore not able to say what percentage of women aged 25 to 35 have attended a routine screen in the last 12 months. However, the following table gives the percentage of women aged 25-34 and 35-39, broken down by primary care trust.
	
		
			  Cervical screening programme: Coverage of age groups 25-34 and 35-39 by primary care organisation, 2006-07 
			  Age at 31 March 2007 
			 25-34  35-39 
			 Eligible population( 1)  Number of women (less than 3.5 years since last adequate test)  Coverage (less than 3.5 years since last adequate test) (Percentage)  Eligible population( 1)  Number of women (less than 3.5 years since last adequate test)  Coverage (less than 3.5 years since last adequate test) (Percentage) 
			   England 3,693,395 2,359,943 63.9 2,007,609 1,444,489 72.0 
			  
			  Q30  North East strategic health authority (SNA 160,992 110,139 68.4 93,576 69,756 74.5 
			  5ND County Durham PCT 30,013 21,130 70.4 18,895 14,454 76.5 
			  5J9 Darlington PCT 6,503 4,503 69.2 3,708 2,834 76.4 
			  5KF Gateshead PCT 12,843 8,988 70.0 7,376 5,607 76.0 
			  5D9 Hartlepool PCT 5,479 3,578 65.3 3,377 2,417 71.6 
			  5KM Middlesbrough PCT 9,390 5,832 62.1 5,081 3,528 69.4 
			  5D7 Newcastle PCT 20,670 13,559 65.6 8,986 6,666 74.2 
			  5E1 North Tees PCT 11,533 7,893 68.4 6,904 5,173 74.9 
			  5D8 North Tyneside PCT 13,686 9,924 72.5 7,844 6,077 77.5 
			  TAC Northumberland Care Trust 16,729 12,584 75.2 11,168 8,938 80.0 
			  5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 7,595 5,126 67.5 4,709 3,472 73.7 
			  5KG South Tyneside PCT 8,954 6,061 67.7 5,228 3,821 73.1 
			  5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 17,597 10,961 62.3 10,300 6,769 65.7 
			  
			  Q31  North West SHA 457,626 302,648 66.1 264,226 192,716 72.9 
			  5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 19,417 13,999 72.1 12,172 9,285 76.3 
			  5CC Blackburn With Darwen PCT 10,909 6,777 62.1 6,026 4,339 72.0 
			  5HP Blackpool PCT 8,538 5,488 64.3 5,271 3,625 68.8 
			  5HQ Bolton PCT 18,598 12,336 66.3 10,603 7,993 75.4 
			  5JX Bury PCT 12,457 8,736 70.1 7,172 5,532 77.1 
			  5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 26,493 19,190 72.4 17,945 14,252 79.4 
			  5NG Central Lancashire PCT 28,558 19,310 67.6 17,074 12,545 73.5 
			  5NE Cumbria PCT 27,105 19,078 70.4 18,179 14,014 77.1 
			  5NH East Lancashire PCT 23,499 15,731 66.9 13,789 10,248 74.3 
			  5NM Halton and St. Helens PCT 19,445 13,406 68.9 11,989 8,943 74.6 
			  5NQ Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 14,082 9,249 65.7 8,009 5,797 72.4 
			  5J4 Knowsley PCT 9,902 6,230 62.9 5,782 3,836 66.3 
			  5NL Liverpool PCT 33,541 18,754 55.9 16,520 10,312 62.4 
			  5NT Manchester PCT 45,349 27,370 60.4 18,339 12,276 66.9 
			  5NF North Lancashire PCT 17,270 11,599 67.2 10,886 7,971 73.2 
			  5J5 Oldham PCT 15,212 10,368 68.2 8,509 6,332 74.4 
			  5F5 Salford PCT 16,674 10,458 62.7 8,448 5,753 68.1 
			  5NJ Sefton PCT 15,025 8,983 59.8 9,602 6,551 68.2 
			  5F7 Stockport PCT 18,623 13,066 70.2 11,164 8,386 75.1 
			  5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 15,041 10,462 69.6 9,010 6,743 74.8 
			  5NR Trafford PCT 15,542 10,213 65.7 9,036 6,352 70.3 
			  5J2 Warrington PCT 12,539 9,075 72.4 7,958 6,287 79.0 
			  5NN Western Cheshire PCT 14,621 10,147 69.4 9,041 6,958 77.0 
			  5NK Wirral PCT 19,186 12,623 65.8 11,702 8,386 71.7 
			  Q32  Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 340,084 219,323 64.5 194,983 139,820 71.7 
			  5JE Barnsley PCT 14,259 8,862 62.2 9,417 6,089 64.7 
			  5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 38,481 21,332 55.4 18,691 12,101 64.7 
			  5J6 Calderdale PCT 12,794 8,238 64.4 8,074 5,572 69.0 
			  5N5 Doncaster PCT 17,972 12,679 70.5 10,966 8,279 75.5 
			  5NW East Riding Of Yorkshire PCT 15,817 11,711 74.0 11,097 8,897 80.2 
			  5NX Hull Teaching PCT 18,925 12,666 66.9 9,923 7,387 74.4 
			  5N2 Kirklees PCT 26,896 16,648 61.9 15,665 10,673 68.1 
			  5N1 Leeds PCT 60,430 35,409 58.6 28,313 18,481 65.3 
			  SAN North East Lincolnshire PCT 9,430 6,185 65.6 6,031 4,160 69.0 
			  5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 9,123 5,877 64.4 5,927 4,085 68.9 
			  5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 43,577 31,041 71.2 27,943 22,242 79.6 
			  5H8 Rotherham PCT 15,383 9,141 59.4 9,499 6,212 65.4 
			  5N4 Sheffield PCT 35,835 24,678 68.9 19,937 15,400 77.2 
			  5N3 Wakefield District PCT 21,162 14,856 70.2 13,500 10,242 75.9 
			  
			  Q33  East Midlands SHA 275,831 194,411 70.5 164,243 129,142 78.6 
			  5ET Bassetlaw PCT 5,962 4,425 74.2 4,024 3,249 80.7 
			  5N7 Derby City PCT 20,014 13,749 68.7 10,856 8,426 77.6 
			  5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 38,893 29,434 75.7 26,222 21,415 81.7 
			  5PC Leicester City PCT 26,549 16,368 61.7 11,952 8,867 74.2 
			  5PA Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 38,513 28,074 72.9 24,595 19,877 80.8 
			  5N9 Lincolnshire PCT 38,384 25,385 66.1 24,848 18,558 74.7 
			  5PD Northamptonshire PCT 44,545 30,783 69.1 26,358 20,131 76.4 
			  5EM Nottingham City PCT 23,956 16,435 68.6 10,705 8,265 77.2 
			  5N8 Nottinghamshire County PCT 39,015 29,758 76.3 24,683 20,354 82.5 
			  
			  Q34  West Midlands SHA 357,986 230,132 64.3 207,288 151,871 73.3 
			  5PG Birmingham East and North PCT 28,644 17,861 62.4 15,805 11,100 70.2 
			  5MD Coventry Teaching PCT 24,196 14,686 60.7 12,139 8,576 70.6 
			  5PE Dudley PCT 18,572 12,559 67.6 11,709 8,783 75.0 
			  5MX Heart Of Birmingham Teaching PCT 25,339 15,415 60.8 10,170 7,513 73.9 
			  5CN Herefordshire PCT 8,950 6,040 67.5 5,952 4,520 75.9 
			  5PH North Staffordshire PCT 11,355 7,981 70.3 7,468 5,814 77.9 
			  5PF Sandwell PCT 22,535 13,723 60.9 12,203 8,284 67.9 
			  5M2 Shropshire County PCT 14,479 10,171 70.2 10,175 7,960 78.2 
			  TAM Solihull Care Trust 12,247 8,396 68.6 8,190 6,199 75.7 
			  5M1 South Birmingham PCT 29402 17,631 60.6 13,768 9,801 71.2 
			  5PK South Staffordshire PCT 34,857 24,522 70.4 22,727 17,641 77.6 
			  5PJ Stoke On Trent PCT 17,427 11,480 65.9 9,910 7,354 74.2 
			  5MK Telford and Wrekin PCT 10,602 6,971 65.8 6,598 4,920 74.6 
			  5M3 Walsall Teaching PCT 16,537 10,329 62.5 9,668 6,995 72.4 
			  5PM Warwickshire PCT 33,288 22,344 67.1 20,651 15,487 75.0 
			  5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 17,231 10,913 63.3 9,450 6,797 71.9 
			  5PL Worcestershire PCT 32,625 19,110 58.6 20,705 14,127 68.2 
			  
			  Q35  East of England SHA 372,625 235,361 63.2 216,345 151,089 69.8 
			  5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 27,205 17,599 64.7 16,416 11,647 70.9 
			  5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 40,820 27,708 67.9 22,314 17,054 76.4 
			  5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 37,187 22,784 61.3 22,480 15,061 67.0 
			  5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney Teaching PCT 11,784 7,738 65.7 7,418 5,320 71.7 
			  5GC Luton Teaching PCT 16,344 9,322 57.0 7,321 4,903 67.0 
			  5PX Mid Essex PCT 23,458 14,352 61.2 14,379 9,736 67.7 
			  5PQ Norfolk PCT 41,982 26,112 62.2 24,933 16,791 67.3 
			  5PW North East Essex PCT 18,426 12,629 68.5 10,700 7,416 69.3 
			  5PN Peterborough PCT 12,857 8,442 65.7 6,161 4,454 72.3 
			  5P1 South East Essex PCT 21,156 12,193 57.6 12,964 8,397 64.8 
			  5PY South West Essex PCT 28,717 16,660 58.0 15,986 10,348 64.7 
			  5PT Suffolk PCT 35,034 24,023 68.6 21,259 16,339 76.9 
			  5PV West Essex PCT 17,744 10,781 60.8 10,954 7,461 68.1 
			  5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 39,911 25,018 62.7 23,060 16,162 70.1 
			  
			  Q36  London SHA 857,266 502,800 58.7 359,133 240,074 66.8 
			  5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 14,877 8,554 57.5 7,110 4,523 63.6 
			  5A9 Barnet PCT 34,283 18,356 53.5 14,587 9,484 65.0 
			  TAK Bexley Care Trust 14,582 10,486 71.9 8,577 6,742 78.6 
			  5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 35,696 19,453 54.5 13,788 9,124 66.2 
			  5A7 Bromley PCT 21,638 15,077 69.7 12,974 9,942 76.6 
			  5K7 Camden PCT 31,321 17,167 54.8 10,108 6,506 64.4 
			  5C3 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 30,001 17,386 58.0 11,844 7,684 64.9 
			  5K9 Croydon PCT 29,437 17,098 58.1 14,909 9,561 64.1 
			  5HX Ealing PCT 37,050 21,031 56.8 14,696 9,805 66.7 
			  5C1 Enfield PCT 23,563 13,193 56.0 11,566 7,495 64.8 
			  5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 26,038 15,580 59.8 11,394 7,729 67.8 
			  5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 28,034 15,902 56.7 9,572 5,641 58.9 
			  5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 28,532 15,606 54.7 12,690 8,088 63.7 
			  5K6 Harrow PCT 17,900 10,031 56.0 8,658 5,970 69.0 
			  5A4 Havering PCT 15,628 9,390 60.1 8,958 5,757 64.3 
			  5AT Hillingdon PCT 20,215 11,921 59.0 10,285 7,152 69.5 
			  5HY Hounslow PCT 25,598 14,402 56.3 11,078 7,356 66.4 
			  5K8 Islington PCT 29,256 17,337 59.3 10,130 6,675 65.9 
			  5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 22,169 12,739 57.5 9,439 5,754 61.0 
			  5A5 Kingston PCT 15,827 9,966 63.0 7,517 5,372 71.5 
			  5LD Lambeth PCT 46,265 27,346 59.1 17,361 11,245 64.8 
			  5LF Lewisham PCT 29,940 18,609 62.2 13,483 9,218 68.4 
			  5C5 Newham PCT 31,584 18,974 60.1 12,215 8,706 71.3 
			  5NA Redbridge PCT 21,260 11,658 54.8 9,961 6,497 65.2 
			  5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 17,716 11,302 63.8 9,289 6,700 72.1 
			  5LE Southwark PCT 35,462 20,617 58.1 14,450 9,274 64.2 
			  5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 38,862 24,164 62.2 17,270 12,226 70.8 
			  5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 30,668 17,029 55.5 8,220 5,468 66.5 
			  5NC Waltham Forest PCT 24,203 14,370 59.4 11,157 7,549 67.7 
			  5LG Wandsworth PCT 48,991 30,039 61.3 15,464 10,344 66.9 
			  5LC Westminster PCT 30,670 18,017 58.7 10,383 6,487 62.5 
			  
			  Q37  South East Coast SHA 275,545 186,277 67.6 164,042 125,392 76.4 
			  5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 26,234 15,811 60.3 12,293 8,930 72.6 
			  5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 17,219 11,463 66.6 11,221 8,469 75.5 
			  5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 43,046 29,557 68.7 25,620 19,648 76.7 
			  5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 8,932 6,192 69.3 5,785 4,490 77.6 
			  5L3 Medway POT 18,272 12,786 70.0 10,497 8,169 77.8 
			  5P5 Surrey PCT 73,116 48,694 66.6 43,633 33,430 76.6 
			  5P9 West Kent PCT 42,345 30,005 70.9 26,236 20,596 78.5 
			  5P6 West Sussex PCT 46,381 31,769 68.5 28,757 21,660 75.3 
			  
			  Q38  South Central SHA 284,062 178,103 62.7 158,601 112,883 71.2 
			  5QG Berkshire East PCT 32,223 18,142 56.3 16,641 10,713 64.4 
			  5QF Berkshire West PCT 37,101 22,851 61.6 19,194 13,481 70.2 
			  5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 31,609 21,155 66.9 20,000 15,122 75.6 
			  5QC Hampshire PCT 75,607 49,854 65.9 48,177 34,495 71.6 
			  5QT Isle Of Wight PCT 6,640 4,645 70.0 4,509 3,448 76.5 
			  5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 19,371 12,792 66.0 10,027 7,344 73.2 
			  5QE Oxfordshire PCT 46,406 28,706 61.9 24,505 18,213 74.3 
			  5FE Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 15,020 8,147 54.2 7,441 4,724 63.5 
			  5L1 Southampton City PCT 20,085 11,811 58.8 8,107 5,343 65.9 
			  
			  Q39  South West SHA 311,378 200,749 64.5 185,172 131,746 71.1 
			  5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 11,465 6,466 56.4 6,543 4,106 62.8 
			  5QN Bournemouth and Poole PCT 23,277 16,369 70.3 11,868 9,550 80.5 
			  5QJ Bristol PCT 39,399 21,548 54.7 16,328 10,001 61.3 
			  5QP Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 27,999 19,793 70.7 17,935 13,542 75.5 
			  5QQ Devon PCT 37,355 24,202 64.8 24,294 17,325 71.3 
			  5QM Dorset PCT 18,149 12,750 70.3 12,285 9,559 77.8 
			  5QH Gloucestershire PCT 34,657 24,709 71.3 21,486 16,440 76.5 
			  5M8 North Somerset PCT 11,466 6,802 59.3 7,435 4,865 65.4 
			  5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 17,282 12,036 69.6 9,379 7,066 75.3 
			  SQL Somerset PCT 26,956 17,365 64.4 17,963 12,614 70.2 
			  5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 16,434 10,096 61.4 9,948 6,653 66.9 
			  5K3 Swindon PCT 14,765 8,658 58.6 8,229 5,317 64.6 
			  TAL Torbay Care Trust 7,613 5,185 68.1 4,595 3,453 75.1 
			  5QK Wiltshire PCT 24,561 14,770 60.1 16,884 11,255 66.7 
			 (1) This is the number of women in the resident population less those with recall ceased for clinical reasons (most commonly due to hysterectomy).  Notes: 1. National policy for the cervical screening programme is that eligible women aged 25 to 64 should be screened every three or five years. Women aged 25 to 49 are screened every three years, (from 2002 3.5 years) those aged 50 to 64 every five years. 2. Coverage as supplied here relates to the percentage of eligible women aged 25-39 screened within the last 3.5 years  Source: KC53 Parts A2 and A3

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women  (a) under 25,  (b) 25 to 35,  (c) 35 to 50,  (d) 50 to 60 and  (e) over 60 years of age had a CIN 3 graded smear test in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many women under the age of 25 years had a smear test with a CIN 3 result in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Data for CIN3 are aggregated by age and with data for adenocarcinoma, we are not able to spilt them up. The following tables give figures, for the last five years, for women, whose cervical test outcome was CIN 3 and adenocarcinoma.
	
		
			  Women (all ages) where outcome was CIN3 and adenocarcinoma in situ following referral after persistent non-negative sample (low grade i.e.  category 1/8/3 result) for 2001-02 to 2005-06 and April to June 2006 
			  England  Number 
			 2001-02 2,498 
			 2002-03 3,872 
			 2003-04 3,609 
			 2004-05 3,945 
			 2005-06 4,151 
			 April to June 2006 866 
		
	
	
		
			  Women (all ages) where outcome was CIN3 and adenocarcinoma in situ following referral after single occurrence of potentially significant abnormality (high grade  i.e.  category 7/4/5/6 result) for 2001-02 to 2005-06 and April to June 2006 
			  England  Number 
			 2001-02 13,527 
			 2002-03 20,787 
			 2003-04 19,709 
			 2004-05 19,764 
			 2005-06 19,990 
			 April to June 2006 4,530 
			  Notes: 1. Data for outcome of referrals is a retrospective collection and annual data for this dataset is always a year behind the rest of the published data for cervical screening, however the first quarter for the following year is available and published at the same time, this has been provided for the period April to June 2006 to show the most up to date information available. 2. Figures for 2005-06 and April to June 2006 differ slightly from those published. Arrowe Park Hospital's laboratory data was submitted with the quarter and the annual data the wrong way round. 3. The latest data on cervical screening is available in the Information Centre's publication Cervical Screening Programme, England 2006-07.  4. Low grade includes the results; inadequate (cat 1), borderline (cat 8) and mild dyskaryosis (cat 3) High grade includes the results; moderate dyskaryosis (cat 7), severe dyskariosis (cat 4), severe dyskariosis/?invasive carcinoma (cat 5) and ?glandular neoplasia (cat 6) 5. CIN (cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia) is an indicator of the depth of abnormal cells within the cervix CIN3 is where the full thickness of the surface layer is affected (also known as carcinoma in situ)  Source: The Information Centre for Health and Social Care Form KC61 part C1 and C2

Clinical Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2238W, on clinical negligence, by how much the forecast value of claims in the future has required amendment; and for what reason.

Ann Keen: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The reasons for change in value of future claims settlements can vary from changed information on the specific damage caused to changes in the interpretation of case law and its impact on future settlements. The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) carry out a rigorous review at least twice per annum of all of our models which forecast claims not yet received and keep a constant review of all 'known claims' throughout their life. NHSLA's systems and processes are audited by the National Audit Office who have yet to offer any concern in relation to NHSLA's accounting treatment or indeed the quality of advice they are purchasing from either legal or actuarial professionals.

Clinical Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2008,  Official Report, column 2238W on clinical negligence, how many claims under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts there have been relating to care or treatment for cancer since 1995; and what the value has been of such claims.

Ann Keen: The following table shows the information requested.
	
		
			  Speciality  Number of claims  Outstanding estimate ()  Total paid ()  Total claim () 
			 Oncology 416 9,436,113 13,864,016 23,300,129 
			 Radiology 709 39,459,887 31,388,864 70,848,751 
			 Radiotherapy 54 1,073,861 1,898,797 2,972,658 
			 Grand total 1,179 49,969,862 47,151,676 97,121,538

Community Care

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people and what proportion of the population received continuing healthcare in each primary care trust area in England in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued to general practitioners on the prescription to diabetics of blood-testing strips.

Ann Keen: In September 2002, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued clinical guidelines on Management of Type 2 DiabetesManaging Blood Glucose. The guidelines include advice on the self-monitoring of blood glucose, and state that although self-monitoring can have benefits, it should only be carried out as part of an integrated self-care package and if the purpose is clear and agreed with the patient.
	The guidelines are under review and will be reissued as part of the Type 2 diabetes: the management of type two diabetes (update), expected to be published by NICE in April 2008.
	In July 2004 NICE issued clinical guidelines on Type 1 diabetes: diagnosis and management of Type one diabetes in children, young people and adults. These guidelines also state that self-monitoring of blood glucose levels should be used as part of an integrated package to help choice and achieve the best outcomes.
	A statement on blood glucose self-monitoring was reissued in February 2005 via the Medical Director, Chief Nursing Officer and general practitioner bulletins to reinforce the message that self-monitoring may prove useful to people in their overall approach to self-care.

Diabetes: Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) were offered and  (b) accepted screening for diabetic retinopathy in each year since 2003-04.

Ann Keen: The following tables show the number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy and the number of people receiving screening broken down by year.
	
		
			   Number of people with diabetes offered screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) 
			 2003-04 835,900 
			 2004-05 1,076,400 
			 2005-06 1,478,223 
			 2006-07 1,593,644 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of people with diabetes receiving screening for diabetic retinopathy( 1) 
			 2003-04 (2)753,997 
			 2004-05 1,076,388 
			 2005-06 1,232,043 
			 2006-07 1,256,463 
			 (1) Data from Local Delivery Plans returns. (2) Data for year 2003-04 was an incomplete return.

Doctors: EU Nationals

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on which European countries' doctors in the UK  (a) have come from and  (b) are likely to come from in the future, based on current staffing and future projections, as a result of the EU Professional Qualifications Directive for Health Professionals.

Ann Keen: The European countries that doctors come from is not collected centrally. The NHS Workforce Census does collect the countries where doctors qualified. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	The European Union Professional Qualifications Directive may have an impact of the future flows from European countries because the directive is about freeing up professional mobility. The flow of doctors will continue to depend upon the requirements of employing organisations and the competitiveness of doctors applying for employment.
	
		
			  Hospital and Community Health Services: medical and dental( 1)  staff by country of qualification showing other European economic area by country 
			  England as at 30 September 2006  All staff( 1)  (numberheadcount) 
			 England 93,320 
			 United Kingdom 55,445 
			   
			 Other EEA 5,629 
			   
			 Austria 83 
			 Belgium 103 
			 Bulgaria 77 
			 Czech Republic 262 
			 Czechoslovakia 1 
			 Denmark 43 
			 Estonia 8 
			 Finland 14 
			 France 76 
			 Germany 993 
			 Greece 504 
			 Hungary 156 
			 Iceland 10 
			 Irish Republic 1,390 
			 Italy 375 
			 Latvia 35 
			 Lithuania 43 
			 Malta 122 
			 Netherlands 160 
			 Norway 6 
			 Poland 462 
			 Portugal 20 
			 Romania 156 
			 Slovakia 42 
			 Slovenia 4 
			 Spain 372 
			 Sweden 48 
			 Switzerland 29 
			 UnknownEurope 35 
			   
			 Elsewhere 28,337 
			   
			 UnknownDental 3,909 
			 (1) All dental staff are shown as unknown within the table. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. For staff in dental specialties, with a General Dental Council registration, the country of qualification is therefore unknown.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Ear Nose and Throat: Surgery

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) adult and  (b) child tonsillectomies were carried out in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The numbers of finished admission episodes where the primary or secondary operative procedure was a tonsillectomy for people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 and over in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Age  
			   Under 18  18 and over  Age unknown  Total 
			 2006-07 18,695 33,905 2 52,602 
			 2005-06 18,106 34,809 3 52,918 
			 2004-05 17,966 34,674 3 52,643 
			 2003-04 18,146 35,539 2 53,687 
			 2002-03 18,541 36,321 3 54,865 
			  Notes:  FAE A FAE is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 national health service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS, there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be included in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  All operations count of mentions These figures represent a count of all mentions of an operation in any of the 12 operation fields in the HES data set. Therefore, if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field during an episode, all operations are counted.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Health Services: Pilot Schemes

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department's Whole System Demonstrator project sites in  (a) Newham,  (b) Kent and  (c) Cornwall did not go live in accordance with the expected timetable; and when he expects each such project site to begin providing services to patients;
	(2)  what the  (a) target population and  (b) evaluation criteria are of the Whole System Demonstrator project sites in (i) Newham, (ii) Kent and (iii) Cornwall;
	(3)  what the  (a) titles and  (b) dates of all documents held by his Department are which concern the (i) planning and (ii) implementation of the Whole System Demonstrator pilot sites in (A) Newham, (B) Kent and (C) Cornwall; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such document.

Ann Keen: The Long Term Condition Whole System Demonstrators (WSDs) promised in the White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say are exploring the effectiveness of telehealth and telecare in supporting integrated care for those with complex health and social care needs.
	The demonstrators involve the provision of integrated care supported by telehealth and telecare to thousands of individuals over a two year period. The demonstrators are charged with determining the business case for the effectiveness of this model of care. This is being facilitated by the development of a robust independent evaluation drawing upon relevant academic expertise.
	The development of the evaluation methodology, in conjunction with the three sites, has been complex and a number of research design and operational issues have had to be addressed. However, since a randomised control trial provides an unbiased, balanced, and reliable method for determining whether the complex intervention is effective we have allowed more time for the evaluation methodology to be developed than originally planned. There has also been a requirement for review by a multi-site research ethics committee. We have delayed launching services on a large scale until the evaluation methodology is approved because we want each installation to contribute to the knowledge base we are generating.
	Our revised timeline has the evaluated roll out of WSD services commencing in April 2008.
	The three WSD sites will be subject to a single evaluation and as such the target population and evaluation methodology is common across all three sites. It is essential to clearly define the target population for the WSD programme so that the results of the detailed evaluation can be set in context. The criteria proposed for individuals in the trial is as follows:
	individuals with health care needs of any age who are at risk of current or future hospital admission, due to at least one of the following conditions: heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes. The detailed severity criteria is defined using quality outcome framework indicators.
	individuals with social care needs aged 18 and over who:
	are currently in receipt of, or considered to have a need for night sitting;
	receiving seven or more hours per week of home care or 3.5 or more hours per week of home care plus a meals service (defined by individual not household);
	receiving one or more days per week of day care;
	have had a fall or who are considered at high risk of falling;
	a live-in nearby informal carer facing difficulties carrying their current burden of responsibilities; and
	cognitive impairment/confusion people fulfilling this criterion who are unable to provide written informed consent and do not have a primary informal caregiver available or an advocate will not be approached to participate in the questionnaire study.-
	individuals with both health and social care needs as defined above.
	The evaluation has been designed to assess the impact of the addition of telehealth and telecare in an integrated care setting on:
	patterns of health and social care utilisation;
	user reported quality of life, independence and psychological well-being;
	carers' quality of life;
	practitioners working lives and relationships with patients/service users;
	clinical effectiveness; and
	cost effectiveness of care.
	The WSD sites are being supported by the Department, and their project management partner KPMG, to ensure that each site manages to the principles outlined by the OGC's Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) guidance. All the sites have a requirement to produce and manage a consistent set of programme documentation. Each site has a dedicated WSD team and reports to the Department with a weekly flash report and a monthly progress report.
	A comprehensive list of planning and control documentation has been produced by each site. The nature of such documentation is that it evolves over the lifecycle of the programme and so there are multiple versions of many documents that reflect this evolution. For each of the three programmes, and their associated sub-projects, there are for example project initiation documents, project plans, risk/issue and dependency logs and communications plans.
	The planning documentation contains commercially sensitive information and so it would be inappropriate to place the information in the Library.

Health Services: Private Sector

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to support the involvement of patients and the public in monitoring the effectiveness of services provided for the NHS by the third sector and the private sector.

Ann Keen: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, set out important new arrangements for the involvement of patients and the public in health and social care, including local involvement networks (LINks). LINks will enable local people to monitor local services irrespective of who provides them.
	LINks will build on the work of voluntary and community sector groups; and, enable genuine involvement of a far greater number of people than is currently available, ensuring local communities have a stronger voice in the process of commissioning health and social care and enabling them to influence key decisions about the services they both use and pay for.
	In order to ensure that independent sector providersbe they from the private or third sectorco-operate with LINks, we will make directions requiring primary care trusts and local authorities to ensure that their contracts with the independent and third sectors allow LINks entry to appropriate premises and access to appropriate information. This will ensure that LINks will have the same levels of access as they do in the public sector. These changes are aimed at promoting open and transparent communication between communities and the health service, and will develop trust and confidence, increasing accountability to local people.

Malnutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) men and  (b) women were underweight in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007, (1) in total and (2) broken down by age.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the exact format requested.
	Data on underweight prevalence among men and women in England in 2005 and 2006, broken down by age group can be found in the Health Survey for England 2006 latest trends, published 31 January 2008. The data are presented in table 4 (body mass index) of the Adult trend tables 2006. This publication and the tables are available in the Library.
	Data for 2007 are not available.

Mental Health Services: Restraint Techniques

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce  (a) mandatory training for staff who are involved in restraint or other physical interventions in mental health units,  (b) an accreditation scheme for trainers in necessary restraint skills and  (c) definitive guidance on the management of violence in mental health acute units.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines in 2005 entitled Short-term Management of Violence and Disturbed Behaviour in Psychiatric In-patient Settings and Emergency Departments. These guidelines state that all service providers should have a policy for training in physical intervention that specifies the frequency and level of training required.
	The NHS Security Management Service has developed training for all National Health Service staff in mental health and learning disabilities settings entitled The Promoting Safer and Therapeutic Services training-programme. This does not include training in physical intervention techniques.
	The Department and the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) are committed to the accreditation of training and regulation of trainers in the prevention and management of aggression and violence and are currently working to ensure the introduction of an effective accreditation system.
	NIMHE issued the positive practice standards Developing Positive Practice to Support the Safe and Therapeutic Management of Aggression and Violence in Mental Health In-patient Settings in 2004.
	On 8 February, consultation ended on definitive guidance by NIMHE entitled The National Minimum Standards for the Safe and Therapeutic Management of Aggression and Violence in Mental Health In-patient Settings. Responses to this consultation are being considered.

Migraine

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of people who experience migraine in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Tees Valley district and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Ann Keen: We have made no estimates of the number of people living with migraine.

National Centre for Involvement

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require the National Centre for Involvement to provide information, advice and learning opportunities to patients, NHS service users and local involvement networks members in relation to improving consultation at national, regional and local levels in the NHS.

Ann Keen: The NHS Centre for Involvement (NCI) is a consortium of organisations comprising the University of Warwick, Centre for Public Scrutiny and Long Term Conditions Alliance. The NCI has been contracted by the Department to promote more effective patient and public involvement and consultation and to provide support, advice and guidance to stakeholders in this respect. Key among those receiving the NCI's support are patients and the public themselves.
	The NCI is delivering a major programme of work to support those involved in local involvement networks (LINks)patients, users of social services and the public, as well as those groups and organisations involved in supporting and participating in LINks. The NCI also provides information to members of the public more generally about patient and public involvement in the national health service.

NHS

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new NHS constitution proposed by the Prime Minister on 7 January will be established by primary legislation.

Ivan Lewis: We do not propose enshrining the entire constitution in legislation but will legislate if appropriate on specific elements of the constitution.

NHS: Public Participation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that  (a) the NHS Centre for Involvement,  (b) NHS service users and  (c) local involvement networks members improve consultation at national, regional and local levels.

Ann Keen: The Department is taking a number of steps to improve consultation at all levels. It has contracted with the NHS Centre for Involvement (NCI) to promote and support more effective patient and public involvement and consultation throughout the national health service. The Department is in close contact with the NCI to ensure that the NCI continues to develop its work in this area and constantly seeks to improve the support it offers to the NHS.
	Additionally, the Department is currently developing statutory guidance, in accordance with the requirements of section 242 of the NHS Act 2006, which will set out the requirements of NHS bodies to involve and consult patients and the public in the design, development and improvement of health services. The Department is also completing the legislative base for local involvement networks (LINks) which are to be established from April 2008 onwards.
	LINks will provide a more flexible and open means by which peoples' views and experiences can inform local services, and enable the NHS to develop a more long-term and meaningful dialogue with the public. As well as the primary and secondary legislation to support LINks, the Department is also developing supportive guidance for those involved in making LINks effectivethose who participate in them as well as those organisations which will develop relationships with them. The NCI is also developing a comprehensive package of support to enable LINks to operate at their best.

NHS: Public Participation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make provision for a financial loss allowance for members of local involvement networks.

Ann Keen: Patient and public involvement is key to developing and delivering responsive and accountable health and social care services. For effective involvement, people need to feel supported and that their contribution has been valued. This can be done in a number of ways, including participants being thanked and their contribution acknowledged.
	It will be for each Local Involvement Network (LINk) to determine its own policy regarding payment and reimbursement. However, we will remind LINks and host organisations that the Department's Reward and Recognition document which is available in the Library and is also on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4138523
	This document provides a useful guide for service providers, users and carers on the principles and practice of service user payment and reimbursement in health and social care.

NHS: Public Participation

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will issue guidance to local authorities on the establishment of LINks; and if he will make a statement on progress towards establishing LINks.

Ann Keen: The NHS Centre for Involvement is in the process of pulling together a compendium of guidance, which will be made available from 1 April 2008.
	Since the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 was enacted in October last year, a great deal of work has been done to ensure that a local involvement network (LINk) is established in each local authority area.
	A programme of tools and services will be available to all 150 local authorities, to support them in making arrangements for LINks activities in their area.

Organs: Donors

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people carry donor cards; and how many transplants took place where consent was given by the existence of such a card, in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: We do not know exactly how many people carry an organ donor card but a recent survey concluded that around 21 million people carried the card, about 36 per cent. of the population. Almost 15 million people, around 25 per cent. of the population have registered on the Organ Donor Register.
	Of the 2,339 organ transplants in the United Kingdom in 2007 from deceased donors, 674, about 29 per cent. were from donors who were registered on the Organ Donor Register.

Palliative Care Standards

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to fund the continuing work of the Gold Standard Framework Programme to improve end-of-life care in primary care teams and in care homes with central resources.

Ivan Lewis: Funding has been incorporated into strategic health authority (SHA) NHS bundle to support the continuation of the End of Life Care programme, of which the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) forms an important part. It is for SHAs to decide how this funding should be allocated.
	The central team for the End of Life Care programme has also received further funding to support its developing role as the national support team for the future implementation of the End of Life Care strategy. An important part of the team's work will be the continuation of existing initiatives, including the roll out of supporting tools such as the GSF.

Patients' Prospectus

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he plans to publish a patients' prospectus, as referred to by the Prime Minister in his speech to King's college London and the Florence Nightingale school of Nursing of 7 January; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what programmes and services will be provided under the  (a) active patient and  (b) care at home care options announced by the Prime Minister in his speech to King's college London and the Florence Nightingale school of Nursing of 7 January; how many patients he expects to be cared for through each care option in (A) 2008-09 and (B) 2009-10; whether the care options will receive central Government funding; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Departmental officials will be working collaboratively with key stakeholders to develop further detail on the framework for the Patients' Prospectus. A timeframe for publication in 2008 has still to be finalised.
	However, in line with the Departments Supporting people with long term conditions to Self CareA guide to developing local strategies and good practice (February 2006), we envisage the Prospectus would illustrate what people might expect broadly under four key areas (care options) for self care/self management:
	information;
	skills;
	equipment, tools and devices; and
	support networks.
	The Prospectus might also cover the wider aspects of self care such as choices about healthy lifestyles.
	The number of people who will be cared for through each care option will be locally determined as individuals will make different choices depending on their needs and lifestyle.
	This is in keeping with proposals (trailed in Our NHS, Our Future) to provide greater personalisation and control for people with long term conditions, and the Operating Framework: for the NHS in England 2008-09, published 13 December 2007, which expects primary care trusts (PCTs) to improve care for people with long term conditions and to ensure more choices for these patients. We expect PCTs to roll out choice to all people in their area with a long term condition, with local flexibility on the pace and priorities.
	Funding to support the delivery of improved care and support for people with long term conditions is included in PCTs main allocations. Consistent with shifting the balance of power, local empowerment and local area agreements, decisions on the level of investment in this approach will be decided locally.

Prostate Cancer

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many radical prostatectomies for the treatment of prostate cancer were carried out in the NHS in each year since 1997-98  (a) in total,  (b) broken down by commissioning authority and  (c) broken down by provider organisation.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of prostatectomies broken down by primary care trust and national health service trust for the period requested has been placed in the Library. It is not possible to identify separately the number of radical prostatectomies.

JUSTICE

Community Service Orders: Foreigners

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals are serving community sentences.

David Hanson: Information on the nationality of offenders being supervised by the Probation Service under community sentences is not collected centrally.

Debt Collection: Standards

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who in HM Courts Service is responsible for ensuring compliance with the national standards for enforcement agents by  (a) county court bailiffs,  (b) authorised High Court enforcement officers and their bailiffs and  (c) enforcement companies and their employees contracted for magistrates enforcement; what compliance checks were undertaken in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: County court bailiffs are subject to civil service recruitment and the civil service code governs their behaviour. They are subject to strict controls over their conduct, exceeding the national standards, and discipline under civil service disciplinary procedures.
	Oversight of the conduct of authorised High Court enforcement officers (HCEOs) is delegated by the Lord Chancellor to the senior master of the Queen's bench division of the High Court.
	The principles and concepts contained within the national standards for enforcement agents are encapsulated in the contracts that HMCS holds with those firms employed by them to enforce warrants issued by the magistrates courts. Management of these contracts is the responsibility of regional contract managers employed by HMCS.
	During 2007 the regional contract managers received monthly performance reports and held regular meetings to discuss issues, complaints and the provision of services generally. Centrally a review of both performance and compliance with the terms of the contract is undertaken bi-annually. In addition these companies were audited against their ability to meet contract protocols during 2007. As a result no contract breaches were identified.

Departmental Consultants

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultancy contracts his Department issued in each year since 2005; what the  (a) value,  (b) purpose and  (c) contractor was in each case; and whether the consultant's report is publicly available in each case.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was established on 9 May 2007. For the years 2005-06 to 2006-07, information for contracts awarded by the former Department for Constitutional Affairs and those bodies that were formerly part of the Home Office and which are now part of the Ministry of Justice is available in the Library of the House.
	Information on contracts awarded in the first half of the current financial year across the Ministry of Justice is also provided.
	The information on contracts awarded by the National Offender Management Service in 2005-06 and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform in the years 2005-07 is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Full information on contracts awarded by HM Prison Service in 2006-07 is not available.
	Engaging consultancy support offers the Ministry of Justice a fast and flexible way of obtaining skills and experience that are not available in house. Additionally, it is an efficient and cost effective way of meeting ad hoc requirements and provides better value for money than expanding our permanent workforce.

Departmental Official Residences

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many ministerial residences were available to his Department's Ministers and those of its predecessors in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 19 February 2008,  Official Report, column 688W.

Driving Offences: Cycling

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cyclists, broken down by  (a) sex,  (b) age group and  (c) police area were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of going through a red traffic light in each of the last five years for which information is available;
	(2)  what the average fine was for a cyclist convicted of going through a red traffic light in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: Information held by my Department cannot separately identify cyclists from other road users who have been prosecuted under various statutes that cover going through a red traffic light.
	The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts for offences that cover going through a red traffic light, by gender, age group (under 18 years, and 18 years and over), and police force area in England and Wales for the years 2002 to 2006 can be found in the following tables 1 and 2.
	The average fine given to those convicted of offences which cover going through a red traffic light in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2006 can be found below in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons under the age of 18 years proceeded against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts, for offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 35 and 36, by gender, and police force area, in England and Wales, for the years 2002 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Defendants 
			   2002  2003  2004 
			   Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  10 to  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 
			 Bedfordshire 
			 Cambridgeshire 
			 Cheshire 1  1  
			 City of London 
			 Cleveland 
			 Cumbria 2  2  1  1  
			 Derbyshire 
			 Devon and Cornwall 
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 
			 Essex 
			 Gloucestershire 
			 Greater Manchester 1  1  
			 Hampshire 1  1  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Humberside  1  1 
			 Kent 
			 Lancashire 
			 Leicestershire 
			 Lincolnshire 
			 Merseyside 
			 Metropolitan Police 1  1  1
			 Norfolk 
			 North Yorkshire 
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumbria 13  1  11  8  
			 Nottinghamshire 
			 South Yorkshire 
			 Staffordshire 
			 Suffolk 
			 Surrey 
			 Sussex 
			 Thames Valley 
			 Warwickshire 
			 West Mercia 
			 West Midlands 
			 West Yorkshire 
			 Wiltshire 
			 Dyfed-Powys 
			 Gwent 
			 North Wales 
			 South Wales 
			 England and Wales 3  2  7 1 5 1 13  9  
		
	
	
		
			  Defendants 
			   2005  2006 
			   Prosecuted  Found guilty  Prosecuted  Found guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  10  to  17 
			 Avon and Somerset 
			 Bedfordshire 
			 Cambridgeshire 
			 Cheshire 
			 City of London 
			 Cleveland 
			 Cumbria 1  1  2  2  
			 Derbyshire 
			 Devon and Cornwall 
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 
			 Essex 
			 Gloucestershire 
			 Greater Manchester 
			 Hampshire 
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Humberside 3  2  1  1  
			 Kent 
			 Lancashire 
			 Leicestershire 
			 Lincolnshire 
			 Merseyside 
			 Metropolitan Police 1  1  
			 Norfolk 
			 North Yorkshire 
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumbria 5  3  4  1  
			 Nottinghamshire 
			 South Yorkshire 
			 Staffordshire 
			 Suffolk 
			 Surrey 
			 Sussex 
			 Thames Valley 
			 Warwickshire 
			 West Mercia 
			 West Midlands 1  1  
			 West Yorkshire 
			 Wiltshire 
			 Dyfed-Powys 
			 Gwent 
			 North Wales 
			 South Wales 
			 England and Wales 9  6  9  6  
			 '' = Nil. (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to  ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Statute: Road Traffic Act 1988 sections 35 and 36. Offence description: Offences connected with bicycles: neglect of traffic directions. (4) Data from the court proceedings database cannot separately identify offences related to going through a red traffic light from other offences for neglect of traffic directions under the Traffic Act 1988 as they are grouped together.  Source: Court proceedings database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of persons over the age of 18 years proceeded against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts, for of fences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 35 and 36 by gender  and police force area, in England and Wales, for the years 2002-06( 1, 2, 3, 4,) 
			  Defendants 
			   2002  2003  2004 
			   Prosecuted  Guilty  Prosecuted  Guilty  Prosecuted  Guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  18 and over 
			 Avon and Somerset 2  2  
			 Bedfordshire 
			 Cambridgeshire 
			 Cheshire 2  1  1  1  
			 City of London 3  3  2  1  
			 Cleveland 
			 Cumbria 6  5  1 1 1 1 
			 Derbyshire 
			 Devon and Cornwall 
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 
			 Essex 1  1  1  1  
			 Gloucestershire 2  2  
			 Greater Manchester 2  2  4  4  1  1  
			 Hampshire 2  1  2  2  
			 Hertfordshire 
			 Humberside 1  1  
			 Kent 1  1  
			 Lancashire 1  1  
			 Leicestershire 
			 Lincolnshire 2  2  
			 Merseyside 
			 Metropolitan Police 4  4  7 3 5 3 2  2  
			 Norfolk 
			 North Yorkshire 1  1   1  1 
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumbria 2  1  2  2  4  4  
			 Nottinghamshire 
			 South Yorkshire 
			 Staffordshire 
			 Suffolk 
			 Surrey 
			 Sussex 
			 Thames Valley 3  2  1  1  
			 Warwickshire 
			 West Mercia 
			 West Midlands 
			 West Yorkshire 
			 Wiltshire 
			 Dyfed-Powys 
			 Gwent 
			 North Wales 
			 South Wales 
			 England and Wales 16  14  26 4 21 4 21 1 20 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Defendants 
			   2005  2006 
			   Prosecuted  Guilty  Prosecuted  Guilty 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			  18 and over 
			 Avon and Somerset 1  1  1  1  
			 Bedfordshire 
			 Cambridgeshire 1  1  9 5 9 5 
			 Cheshire 
			 City of London 3  3  1
			 Cleveland 
			 Cumbria 1 1 1 1 
			 Derbyshire 
			 Devon and Cornwall 
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 
			 Essex 
			 Gloucestershire 1  1  
			 Greater Manchester 2  2  
			 Hampshire 1  1  3  3  
			 Hertfordshire 1  1  
			 Humberside 1 1 1 1 2  1  
			 Kent 
			 Lancashire 1  1  
			 Leicestershire 
			 Lincolnshire 
			 Merseyside  1  1 
			 Metropolitan Police 2  2  9  6  
			 Norfolk 1  1  
			 North Yorkshire 1  1  
			 Northamptonshire 1  1  
			 Northumbria 9  7  4  4  
			 Nottinghamshire 1  1  
			 South Yorkshire 
			 Staffordshire 1  1  
			 Suffolk 
			 Surrey 
			 Sussex 1  1  1
			 Thames Valley 1  1  1  1  
			 Warwickshire 
			 West Mercia 1  1  
			 West Midlands 1  1  
			 West Yorkshire 
			 Wiltshire 
			 Dyfed-Powys 
			 Gwent 
			 North Wales 
			 South Wales 
			 England and Wales 25 1 23 1 39 7 33 7 
			 '' = Nil. (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Statute: Road Traffic Act 1988, sections 35 and 36. Offence description: Offences connected with bicycles: neglect of traffic directions. (4) Data from the court proceedings database cannot separately identify offences related to going through a red traffic light from other offences for neglect of traffic directions under the Traffic Act 1988 as they are grouped together.  Source: Court proceedings database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3:The average fines given for persons convicted of offences for   going through a red traffic light in England and Wales for the years 1997 to 2006( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   Average fines () 
			 1997 27 
			 1998 30 
			 1999 40 
			 2000 38 
			 2001 40 
			 2002 49 
			 2003 35 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 42 
			 2006 41 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Statute: Road Traffic Act 1988 sections 35 and 36. Offence description: Offences connected with bicycles: neglect of traffic directions. (5) Data from the court proceedings database cannot separately identify offences related to going through a red traffic light from other offences for neglect of traffic directions under the Traffic Act 1988 as they are grouped together.  Source: Court proceedings database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice .

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) males and  (b) females have been (i) arrested, (ii) prosecuted and (iii) convicted for using their mobile telephones while driving since the legislation banning their use while driving was introduced, broken down by (A) age group and (B) police area.

Maria Eagle: Information requested on arrests for the offence of 'use of a hand held mobile phone while driving' is not collected centrally.
	Available information on prosecutions and convictions in the period from 1 December 2003 to end 2005 (latest available) is provided in the following tables. 2006 data will be available later this year.
	The majority of use of hand held mobile phone while driving offences are dealt with under the fixed penalty notices scheme. The fixed penalty notice is intended to be a quick and simple system in giving an offender the opportunity to resolve the matter without attending court. However, failing to pay the amount due within the specified time will result in the non-endorsable 30 fine becoming 45 and being registered as a fine at a local magistrates court. The tables do not include fixed penalty notices but do include cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	
		
			  Table A: Proceedings at magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1, 2)  males, by age group and police force area, England and Wales, 2003-05( 3) 
			  Number of offences 
			   Under 18  18 and under 21  21 and under 25  25( 4) 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset   3 2 7 7 2 2 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire   1 1   18 18 
			 Cheshire   1 1 2 2   
			 Cleveland   1 1 
			 Cumbria   5 4 11 10 3 3 
			 Derbyshire   1  1 1 51 48 
			 Devon and Cornwall   2 2 5 4 4 4 
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 
			 Essex   5 5 6 5 7 6 
			 Gloucestershire   5 5 
			 Greater Manchester 2 2 4 3 15 14 90 77 
			 Hampshire 1 1 1 1 9 8 1 1 
			 Hertfordshire 1 1 66 60 
			 Humberside   5 4 3 3 1 1 
			 Kent 
			 Lancashire 1 1 7 6 7 7 1 1 
			 Leicestershire   5 5 8 7 4 4 
			 Lincolnshire 3 3 3 2 
			 London, City of   2 1 1 1   
			 Merseyside 2 2 7 6 10 8 3 2 
			 Metropolitan Police 2 2 33 26 99 84 119 101 
			 Norfolk   3 3 14 10 1 1 
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumbria   4 4 5 5   
			 North Yorkshire   4 4 5 5 2 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 1 6 6 5 4 2 2 
			 South Yorkshire   1 1 8 8 6 6 
			 Staffordshire   1 1 4 3 1 1 
			 Suffolk 1 1 2 2 
			 Surrey 1  5 3 6 6 8 6 
			 Sussex   1 1 
			 Thames Valley   4 3 12 9 6 5 
			 Warwickshire 2 1   2 2   
			 West Mercia   1 1 1 1 67 58 
			 West Midlands   5 4 6 6 132 108 
			 West Yorkshire   3 2 8 6 16 13 
			 Wiltshire 1 1   3 3 5 3 
			 Dyfed Powys   2 2 1 1 2 2 
			 Gwent   2 2 
			 North Wales   1 1   2 2 
			 South Wales 1 1 3 3 6 4 1 1 
			 England and Wales 15 13 128 108 275 239 633 549 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   26 and under 30  30 and under 35  35 and under 40 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset 7 5 12 11 9 9 
			 Bedfordshire 4 4 4 4 3 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 4 3 
			 Cheshire   4 4 6 6 
			 Cleveland 1 1 1 1 2 2 
			 Cumbria 9 9 7 6 8 8 
			 Derbyshire 1 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 2 7 6 5 5 
			 Dorset 1 1 1 1   
			 Durham 1 1 
			 Essex 11 11 18 14 12 10 
			 Gloucestershire   
			 Greater Manchester 25 21 26 25 24 21 
			 Hampshire 5 5 6 5 7 5 
			 Hertfordshire 1 1 
			 Humberside 3 2 4 4 8 7 
			 Kent   
			 Lancashire 9 8 13 13 11 11 
			 Leicestershire 2 2 6 4 3 3 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 3 2 6 5 
			 London, City of 3 3 3 3 6 4 
			 Merseyside 9 8 5 5 4 4 
			 Metropolitan Police 98 81 192 123 104 84 
			 Norfolk 5 4 4 3 4 3 
			 Northamptonshire   
			 Northumbria 4 4 10 9 10 9 
			 North Yorkshire 7 5 6 6 9 7 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 3 4 3 4 4 
			 South Yorkshire 2 2 3 3 5 5 
			 Staffordshire 7 7 8 8 2 2 
			 Suffolk 4 3 2 2 10 8 
			 Surrey 11 10 16 16 10 9 
			 Sussex   
			 Thames Valley 14 13 32 29 27 25 
			 Warwickshire 2 1 5 5 2 2 
			 West Mercia   
			 West Midlands 4 3 6 5 2 2 
			 West Yorkshire 11 9 5 4 4 3 
			 Wiltshire 7 6 11 9 3 3 
			 Dyfed Powys 2 2 4 3 4 4 
			 Gwent   1 1   
			 North Wales 3 2 1 1 5 4 
			 South Wales 7 6 7 5 3 2 
			 England and Wales 286 246 437 343 327 283 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   40 and under 50  50 and under 60  60 and over 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset 11 9 7 6 2 1 
			 Bedfordshire 7 5 1 1   
			 Cambridgeshire   1 1   
			 Cheshire 1  1 1 1  
			 Cleveland 2 2 2 1   
			 Cumbria 10 10 3 2 2 1 
			 Derbyshire   
			 Devon and Cornwall 8 7 3 3 2 2 
			 Dorset   
			 Durham   1 1   
			 Essex 14 12 5 4 2 1 
			 Gloucestershire   
			 Greater Manchester 21 20 7 6 2 2 
			 Hampshire 14 10 3 3 1  
			 Hertfordshire 1 1 
			 Humberside 2 2 
			 Kent   
			 Lancashire 10 10 3 2 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 4 4 6 4 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire 2 2 1 1 1  
			 London, City of 3 3 1 1 1  
			 Merseyside 5 4 3 3   
			 Metropolitan Police 104 80 32 26 6 4 
			 Norfolk 5 4 3 3   
			 Northamptonshire   
			 Northumbria 13 12 3 3 2 1 
			 North Yorkshire 8 7 8 8   
			 Nottinghamshire 3 3 1 1 3 3 
			 South Yorkshire 7 5 1  1 1 
			 Staffordshire 3 3 1 1   
			 Suffolk 7 3 4 3   
			 Surrey 18 17 6 5 2 2 
			 Sussex 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 26 22 13 12 6 5 
			 Warwickshire 5 4 3 2 1 1 
			 West Mercia   1
			 West Midlands 4 3 
			 West Yorkshire 8 8 
			 Wiltshire 10 9 5 5 1  
			 Dyfed Powys 5 4 3 3   
			 Gwent 1  
			 North Wales 3 2 2 2   
			 South Wales 7 7 3 1   
			 England and Wales 352 295 137 115 39 26 
			 '' = Nil. (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction  Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110 (1), 110 (2) and 110 (3). Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. (3) In December 2003, and for the Bedfordshire police force area, there was one prosecution and the male offender was found guilty. (4)Age 25 separate as used as a default age when date of birth is not known.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Proceedings at magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for the offence of use of hand held mobil e phone  while driving( 1, 2)  females, by age group and by police force area, England and Wales 2003-05 
			  Number of offences 
			   Under 18  18 and under 21  21 and under 25  25( 3) 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset 2 2   
			 Bedfordshire   1  
			 Cambridgeshire 
			 Cheshire 
			 Cleveland 1 1   
			 Cumbria   1 1 1
			 Derbyshire   15 15 
			 Devon and Cornwall   2 2 1 1   
			 Dorset 
			 Durham 1 1   
			 Essex   1 1   1 1 
			 Gloucestershire 
			 Greater Manchester   6 5 
			 Hampshire   1 1 
			 Hertfordshire   7 7 
			 Humberside   1 1 
			 Kent 
			 Lancashire   1 1 
			 Leicestershire 
			 Lincolnshire 1
			 London, City of   1 1 
			 Merseyside 
			 Metropolitan Police   3 2 11 9 16 15 
			 Norfolk 1 1   
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumbria 
			 North Yorkshire 
			 Nottinghamshire 
			 South Yorkshire 1 1   
			 Staffordshire 
			 Suffolk 
			 Surrey 4 3 4 4 
			 Sussex 
			 Thames Valley   1 1 1 1   
			 Warwickshire   1 1 
			 West Mercia   6 5 
			 West Midlands   1 1   10 8 
			 West Yorkshire 1 1 1  
			 Wiltshire   1 1   1  
			 Dyfed Powys   1 1 
			 Gwent 
			 North Wales 
			 South Wales 
			 England and Wales   13 12 26 21 71 63 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   26 and under 30  30 and under 35  35 and under 40 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset   1 1 1 1 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1   1 1 
			 Cambridgeshire   
			 Cheshire   
			 Cleveland 1 1 
			 Cumbria 4 4 
			 Derbyshire   
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Dorset 1 1 
			 Durham   1 1   
			 Essex 1 1 4 4   
			 Gloucestershire   
			 Greater Manchester   2 2 2 2 
			 Hampshire 2 2 2 2 3 3 
			 Hertfordshire   
			 Humberside   
			 Kent   
			 Lancashire 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 
			 Lincolnshire   2
			 London, City of   
			 Merseyside 1 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 12 10 9 7 10 5 
			 Norfolk   
			 Northamptonshire   
			 Northumbria 2 1 
			 North Yorkshire 1 1 3 3   
			 Nottinghamshire 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 1  
			 Staffordshire   2 2   
			 Suffolk   
			 Surrey 1 1 4 3 1 1 
			 Sussex   
			 Thames Valley 2 2 3 3 1 1 
			 Warwickshire   1 1   
			 West Mercia   
			 West Midlands   
			 West Yorkshire 1 1 
			 Wiltshire   
			 Dyfed Powys 2 1 2 2   
			 Gwent   
			 North Wales 2 1   1 1 
			 South Wales   2 1   
			 England and Wales 31 26 39 33 30 24 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   40 and under 50  50 and under 60  60 and over 
			  Police force area  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt  Proceedings  Findings of guilt 
			 Avon and Somerset 2 2 
			 Bedfordshire   
			 Cambridgeshire   
			 Cheshire   1 1   
			 Cleveland   
			 Cumbria   1 1   
			 Derbyshire   
			 Devon and Cornwall   1
			 Dorset   
			 Durham   
			 Essex 2 2 2
			 Gloucestershire   
			 Greater Manchester 1 1 
			 Hampshire 1 1 1 1   
			 Hertfordshire   
			 Humberside 2 2 
			 Kent   
			 Lancashire   
			 Leicestershire   
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 
			 London, City of   
			 Merseyside   
			 Metropolitan Police 12 11 
			 Norfolk 1  
			 Northamptonshire   
			 Northumbria   1 1   
			 North Yorkshire   
			 Nottinghamshire   
			 South Yorkshire 1 1 
			 Staffordshire 1 1 
			 Suffolk   
			 Surrey 2 2 1 1   
			 Sussex 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 2 2 
			 Warwickshire   
			 West Mercia   
			 West Midlands   
			 West Yorkshire   
			 Wiltshire 1 1 1
			 Dyfed Powys 1 1 
			 Gwent   
			 North Wales   
			 South Wales 1 1 
			 England and Wales 29 27 9 5 3 3 
			  
			 '' = Nil. (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction  Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110(1), 110(2) and 110(3). Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court. (3) Age 25 separate as used as a default age when date of birth is not known.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Lisbon Treaty

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had on the potential effect of the Lisbon treaty on the principle of habeas corpus.

Jack Straw: Detailed discussions have taken place on all aspects of the Lisbon treaty. The treaty requires no change to our laws in this area.

Negligence: Health Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legally-aided clinical negligence cases were closed in 2007; and how many of these cases resulted in an award of damages or a settlement involving an agreement to pay damages or compensation.

Maria Eagle: Figures covering the whole of 2007 will not be available until after the end of the current financial year. However, 5,584 legally aided clinical negligence cases were closed in 2006-07. In 160 of these cases, the solicitors reported that the outcome was unknown, as the client had ceased to give instructions or was proceeding under other funding or as a litigant in person. Of the remaining cases, 300 resulted in an award of damages, and 1,708 in a settlement involving an agreement to pay damages or compensation.

Offenders: Housing

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans there are to close ClearSprings operation in Kemsley;
	(2)  what planning requirements there were for the establishment of the ClearSprings house in Kemsley.

David Hanson: Planning permission is not required; and the local authority has not asked that it be sought. The Kemsley property was previously residential and remains in residential use by those renting it while benefiting from the Bail Accommodation and Support Service.
	The property at Kemsley currently being used for the Bail Accommodation and Support Service will be released when alternative property can be sourced to meet the demand for 10 bed spaces spread over three locations in Kent, as identified by the South East Regional Offender Manager.

Prison Officers

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce a long service medal for prison officers in addition to the Director General's long service award.

Maria Eagle: The option of introducing a long service medal for prison officers is under active consideration within the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners: Dietary Supplements

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce free vitamin supplements for prisoners.

Maria Eagle: There are no plans to introduce free vitamin supplements for all prisoners in England and Wales. The National Audit Office report HM Prison Service Serving Time: Prisoner Diet and Exercise (HC 939, 2005-06) noted that, on the whole, meals offered to prisoners were in line with the Government's recommendations on energy and nutrients.

Prisoners: Dyslexia

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the results of the Government's investigation into early intervention programmes on prisoners suffering from dyslexia, as referred to by the former Prime Minister,  Official Report, 23 May 2007, column 1270, on dyslexia and criminality, will be published; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The identification of prisoners with dyslexia and the provision of additional support is an important theme in the Learning and Skills Council's recent publication, Developing the Offender Learning and Skills Service: The Prospectus. The LSC publication incorporates the findings of the Prison Reform Trust research on learning disabilities, No-one Knows, published last year. Appropriate assessments and the provision of additional support are an important part of increasing prisoners' employability on release which in turn is a key factor in reducing re-offending.

Prisoners: Pay

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will bring the Prisoners Earnings Act 1996 and associated secondary legislation into force.

David Hanson: The Act is complicated and prescriptive and it is calculated that in its present form it would cost substantially more to administer than it would raise in revenue. In view of this the Government do not intend to make an order to bring the Act into force.

Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on buildings and structural maintenance in each prison built  (a) between 1995 and to date,  (b) between 1980 and 1995,  (c) between 1930 and 1980 and  (d) before 1930 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The information requested is in the following tables. Prisons have been categorised by year of original construction. Where for example camps/country houses have been converted to prison use, this may not equate to the date of first use as a prison.
	Figures include all centrally managed maintenance and development work and do not include minor local expenditure.
	Figures do not include new accommodation under recent capacity expansion programmes.
	Figures do not include privately managed prisons. All new prisons built since 1995 have been private sector operated with the exception of HMP Kennett which has only recently opened and has not yet incurred any maintenance expenditure.
	
		
			  Establishment  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			 Ashwell   3,423,842 2,604,097 720,553 3,044,124 
			 Askham Grange  1,756,928 
			 Aylesbury   504,976 820,551  812,465 
			 Bedford 75,523 366,3293,540,964 
			 Birmingham 234,415 41,403 36,151 2,437,223 2,517,253  
			 Blantyre House 126,365 330,091 150,605  109,724 153,195 
			 Bristol  188,184 368,644 6,799,500 2,305,000 209,500 
			 Brixton 32,935  1,901,000 1,173,399 251,675 3,943,004 
			 Bullwood Hall 39,576 1,995,371   99,303  
			 Camp Hill  1,978,767 2,473,520   6,347,109 
			 Canterbury 1,269,245  2,244,619  355,000 928,607 
			 Cardiff1,774,315 499,673 355,940 
			 Chelmsford 50,542 932,799 1,020,666 374,457 978,924  
			 Dartmoor 1,124,392 69,815  388,953   
			 Dorchester 422,111   398,501 372,393 2,709,335 
			 Dover  975,207 304,849  2,581,254  
			 Downview725,732 245,289  
			 Durham 1,093,030 1,894,362 101,135 106,483 1,515,516 6,779,858 
			 East Sutton Park  991,472 167,780
			 Erlestoke 69,461  
			 Exeter 886,995  153,644 262,800 790,680  
			 Feltham 500,281 435,479 5,782,273 1,908,261 2,797,169 5,336,624 
			 Ford 332,053 238,267  305,195   
			 Foston Hall 138,691 141,123  493,132   
			 Gloucester 255,570   189,583 3,768,173 131,421 
			 Grendon 664,744  116,440 2,900,446 324,027 133,746 
			 Haslar 585,486 705,232 
			 Hewell Grange  1,051,143 763,493
			 Hollesley Bay  255,361 2,605,473
			 Holloway 98,144 76,814  747,203 1,572,716 379,431 
			 Hull  793,334 1,983,509 413,668   
			 Kingston 1,884,7841,227,749  
			 Kirklevington   
			 Lancaster 141,456 191,154 113,117 2,256,190 60,648 103,830 
			 Leeds  1,924,899   5,826,623  
			 Leicester  83,493 134,434  97,591  
			 Lewes   264,798   805,184 
			 Leyhill   223,861
			 Lincoln 46,463 471,712  4,612,574 4,991,229 2,664,763 
			 Liverpool 1,033,085 1,370,160 246,714 5,125,913 582,174 256,027 
			 Maidstone 648,638  5,244,025 445,795 5,254,906 109,287 
			 Manchester 191,663  
			 New Hall  502,563  311,714 1,096,209  
			 Northallerton   305,185 2,160,021 195,958  
			 Norwich280,523   
			 Nottingham 150,539   140,503 357,368 990,819 
			 Parkhurst 154,326  982,701 563,134  42,635 
			 Pentonville  6,379 1,436,813  2,630,041  
			 Portland 165,057 780,218 1,475,546 187,893 457,472 5,132,563 
			 Preston  39,254 269,000 4,036,604 1,440,472  
			 Reading 324,802 806,963741,665 
			 Rochester   2,403,021 2,682,525 3,063,880 7,473,009 
			 Shepton Mallett  471,780  1,700,099   
			 Shrewsbury 964,388 996,697 399,155   142,456 
			 Stafford 273,888 238,382  249,157  1,835,460 
			 Standford Hill 390,982 37,3451,227,260 
			 Styal  275,897 506,527
			 Swansea 351,821 263,215  1,661,498  754,604 
			 The Verne  192,820  885,624 132,164 1,443,106 
			 Usk 353,777 251,820   53,500  
			 Wakefield 1,555,740 6,260,961 397,995 9,367,419 810,750  
			 Wakefield (Aberford)  1,192,221 
			 Wandsworth 15,913,342 1,475,612 1,369,060 1,826,274 4,600,067 5,630,966 
			 Werrington   3,098,123 384,538 54,350  
			 Winchester0 440,520 2,648,304 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 475,285  11,285,270 8,668,446 362,713 281,043 
			 Grand total 33,019,595 30,588,866 54,257,964 72,369,943 55,540,706 69,550,464 
		
	
	
		
			  Establishment  2004  2005  2006  2007  Grand total 
			 Ashwell 139,000 70,065  5,759,418 15,761,099 
			 Askham Grange 1,756,928 
			 Aylesbury 1,499,916 11,558,772  2,757,875 17,954,555 
			 Bedford  194,891   4,177,707 
			 Birmingham   2,358,532  7,624,977 
			 Blantyre House 971,5871,841,567 
			 Bristol 1,580,288  937,891  12,389,007 
			 Brixton 1,839,834  382,621 140,595 9,665,063 
			 Bullwood Hall 471,417 1,850,707  0 4,456,374 
			 Camp Hill 2,367,95213,167,348 
			 Canterbury   1,150,738  5,948,209 
			 Cardiff 8,510,013 347,558   11,487,499 
			 Chelmsford 6,027,367 431,234   9,815,989 
			 Dartmoor 146,300 481,487 6,967,894 5,283,605 14,462,446 
			 Dorchester 602,807 168,450 261,409  4,935,006 
			 Dover 775,603  1,186,650  5,823,563 
			 Downview 3,252,125 564,592   4,787,738 
			 Durham 620,270 9,530,423   21,641,077 
			 East Sutton Park 410,820 444,295   2,014,367 
			 Erlestoke 3,354,1693,423,630 
			 Exeter 403,500 25,000 2,945,752  5,468,371 
			 Feltham  2,342,182 472,281  19,574,550 
			 Ford779,944 1,655,459 
			 Foston Hall 307,413 79,896 5,072,768  6,233,023 
			 Gloucester  268,509 374,850  4,988,106 
			 Grendon 93,346 2,382,675 286,501  6,901,925 
			 Haslar 344,4451,635,163 
			 Hewell Grange   402,931 381,218 2,598,785 
			 Hollesley Bay 1,150,063 714,387   4,725,284 
			 Holloway 1,653,247 4,026,222 1,198,081 963,595 10,715,453 
			 Hull1,199,417 4,389,928 
			 Kingston  2,248,171  172,870 5,533,574 
			 Kirklevington 3,945,251  607,722  4,552,973 
			 Lancaster 0 1,498,439   4,364,834 
			 Leeds 1,651,152  1,206,096 920,758 11,529,528 
			 Leicester 427,548 1,168,783   1,911,849 
			 Lewes 2,168,661 848,830   4,087,473 
			 Leyhill 111,000 202,900   537,761 
			 Lincoln  3,159,333  8,789,000 24,735,074 
			 Liverpool 479,777 195,665 1,833,622 15,390,682 26,513,819 
			 Maidstone 2,376,683 5,402,818   19,482,152 
			 Manchester 848,798  95,116 251,107 1,386,684 
			 New Hall 0 4,378,434 520,604  6,809,524 
			 Northallerton 888,603 195,134 1,019,906  4,764,807 
			 Norwich  428,002 5,487,569  6,196,094 
			 Nottingham 519,991   1,350,894 3,510,114 
			 Parkhurst 825,150 386,331  1,844,378 4,798,655 
			 Pentonville 10,213,429 1,470,446 1,388,799 2,156,100 19,302,007 
			 Portland 1,015,957 0 20,353,589  29,568,295 
			 Preston 4,628,401 0 14,546,657 1,779,451 26,739,839 
			 Reading 183,072 546,376   2,602,878 
			 Rochester 902,445   1,154,161 17,679,041 
			 Shepton Mallett0 2,171,879 
			 Shrewsbury  2,702,015  2,080,077 7,284,788 
			 Stafford 458,182  1,098,788  4,153,857 
			 Standford Hill 1,253,503 2,629,305  3,484,222 9,022,617 
			 Styal  22,243   804,667 
			 Swansea 2,574,761  2,010,142  7,616,041 
			 The Verne 81,745 1,394,055 528,891  4,658,405 
			 Usk 1,016,246   2,897,350 4,572,693 
			 Wakefield 9,870,172  11,205,973 34,806 39,503,816 
			 Wakefield (Aberford) 1,192,221 
			 Wandsworth 1,682,627  503,425 9,069,038 42,070,411 
			 Werrington   928,087  4,465,098 
			 Winchester 1,762,826 3,992,243 1,546,142  10,390,035 
			 Wormwood Scrubs  306,665  3,265,274 24,644,696 
			 Grand total 86,407,462 68,657,533 88,880,027 71,905,835 631,178,395 
		
	
	
		
			  1930 to 1980 
			  Establishment  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			 Acklington 1,387,679 813,6365,527,245 
			 Albany 640,573 203,132 209,381
			 Blundeston 563,135 962,130  287,118   
			 Brockhill 2,808,159504,498 2,921,252 
			 Channings Wood  3,417,970 2,087,256   156,514 
			 Coldingley 448,063 3,434,415 3,233,176 122,561   
			 Cookham Wood 149,523 218,665 
			 Deerbolt 1,171,168 1,658,512 2,614,659 191,756 271,450  
			 Drake Hall 158,091  827,537  2,607,373  
			 Eastwood Park  1,334,820 356,927   4,775,281 
			 Everthorpe  1,876,233 
			 Featherstone 367,327 357,360 78,909   1,062,745 
			 Gartree  342,206  82,081 3,264,880 5,363,754 
			 Glen Parva  2,000,121  158,039 784,784 375,142 
			 Guys Marsh 394,511 171,383 
			 Haverigg 323,030 4,488,401 6,750,619
			 Highpoint South  219,984 404,776 2,609,691 571,481 534,815 
			 Hindley 301,000 1,057,035   331,487 2,753,887 
			 Huntercombe 1,334,896  
			 Kirkham 37,522 5,398,4355,930,600 
			 Latchmere House  1,160,045 
			 Lindholme 1,218,670  4,274,857 2,916,495 1,003,929 259,771 
			 Long Lartin  3,492,957  379,874   
			 Low Newton  3,639,477 150,648
			 Morton Hall 141,193   2,163,263   
			 North Sea Camp 392,207 232,574 
			 Onley 207,536 1,029,418 3,486,072 186,287 851,386 1,874,890 
			 Prescoed 224,713 201,322 
			 Ranby 472,639   185,351   
			 Risley 77,215 829,819 4,214,093 2,247,800 261,216  
			 Send 232,800 3,041,743 
			 Spring Hill   
			 Stoke Heath 75,198  1,097,735 274,275 815,715  
			 Sudbury 242,985 161,030 288,371  804,000  
			 Swinfen Hall 521,611 1,677,02342,167 
			 Wealstun 650,152 299,505 75,098
			 Wellingborough 935,892 0 192,012 238,563 144,595 163,612 
			 Wetherby   2,303,016
			 Whatton 723,850  98,597  1,383,781 723,985 
			 Wymott 165,257 284,498260,500 
			 Grand Total 15,031,699 41,754,911 32,743,739 12,043,154 14,935,471 34,975,098 
		
	
	
		
			  Establishment  2004  2005  2006  2007  Grand total 
			 Acklington 226,788  461,967 5,965,057 14,382,372 
			 Albany 1,356,598 168,195   2,577,879 
			 Blundeston  1,716,848   3,529,231 
			 Brockhill   6,158,255  12,392,164 
			 Channings Wood 2,083,575 1,224,667   8,969,982 
			 Coldingley 1,034,519 184,592   8,457,326 
			 Cookham Wood 970,480 4,399,308  1,073,566 6,811,542 
			 Deerbolt 2,583,9218,491,466 
			 Drake Hall 3,712,3617,305,362 
			 Eastwood Park 156,500 4,111,491   10,735,019 
			 Everthorpe 1,113,7792,990,012 
			 Featherstone 195,265  1,277,547  3,339,153 
			 Gartree 2,372,470  3,228,209  14,653,600 
			 Glen Parva 823,027  0  4,141,113 
			 Guys Marsh 288,121  2,322,717 622,393 3,799,125 
			 Haverigg 1,830,717  596,428 1,884,675 15,873,870 
			 Highpoint South 4,340,747 
			 Hindley 805,327 356,214 745,729 1,598,410 7,949,089 
			 Huntercombe  366,166 661,775  2,362,837 
			 Kirkham   104,540 1,075,392 12,546,489 
			 Latchmere House 147,836   657,548 1,965,429 
			 Lindholme 2,546,947 1,055,022   13,275,691 
			 Long Lartin 6,916,702 877,050 965,383 1,170,150 13,802,116 
			 Low Newton   3,420,719  7,210,844 
			 Morton Hall  725,240  347,027 3,376,723 
			 North Sea Camp 134,000758,781 
			 Onley 929,527 2,129,317 2,244,429 2,433,464 15,372,326 
			 Prescoed   2,061,956  2,487,991 
			 Ranby 4,231,0734,889,063 
			 Risley 0 382,561   8,012,704 
			 Send 03,274,543 
			 Spring Hill 1,434,4101,434,410 
			 Stoke Heath 3,309,381  581,814  6,154,118 
			 Sudbury   268,532  1,764,918 
			 Swinfen Hall 971,0873,211,888 
			 Wealstun626,447 1,651,202 
			 Wellingborough 63,427   743,487 2,481,588 
			 Wetherby 3,460,504  1,898,547 570,419 8,232,486 
			 Whatton 2,930,213 
			 Wymott 710,255 
			 Grand Total 43,698,342 17,696,671 26,998,547 18,768,035 258,645,667 
		
	
	
		
			  1980 to 1995 
			  Establishment  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			 Belmarsh  617,001 41,561  384,201 1,170,805 
			 Blakenhurst   
			 Brinsford   712,634 46,728 1,371,719  
			 Buckley Hall82,190  476,153 
			 Bullingdon 1,992,767  
			 Castington 151,356 956,453 641,365  9,677,883  
			 Elmley 362,613  
			 Frankland 73,812  3,549,618 655,489 1,697,794  
			 Full Sutton 15,000  1,765,416 273,800  1,035,231 
			 Garth  267,756   96,000 327,112 
			 High Down  317,190  108,332 854,855 85,351 
			 Holme House 218,907 295,926 
			 Lancaster Farms   772,619  930,438  
			 Littlehey  99,880 503,314 445,888 548,580  
			 Moorland   
			 Mount   496,440  292,145 463,710 
			 Stocken  458,876   335,569  
			 Swaleside1,380,379 1,444,516 770,680 
			 Thorn Cross 229,448 2,693,681 
			 Wayland670,115 763,105  
			 Whitemoor  736,211 1,171,888 809,334 376,551 136,156 
			 Woodhill  615,017 
			 Grand total 602,781 4,068,384 9,654,855 4,472,255 21,214,478 7,454,805 
		
	
	
		
			  Establishment  2004  2005  2006  2007  Grand total 
			 Belmarsh 1,107,4763,321,044 
			 Blakenhurst 0 
			 Brinsford 1,999,117  613,839  4,744,037 
			 Buckley Hall 2,393,766   225,031 3,177,140 
			 Bullingdon 30,000 48,304  724,740 2,795,811 
			 Castington 2,055,462 776,329 947,528  15,206,376 
			 Elmley 716,256   249,510 1,328,379 
			 Frankland  715,361 958,858 1,373,332 9,024,264 
			 Full Sutton 162,826  5,117,197  8,369,470 
			 Garth 1,748,9082,439,776 
			 High Down 272,433  4,112,706 890,691 6,641,558 
			 Holme House 305,748 3,039,307   3,859,888 
			 Lancaster Farms   547,706  2,250,763 
			 Littlehey  457,581   2,055,243 
			 Moorland 444,443   1,835,054 2,279,497 
			 Mount 861,027  296,676  2,409,998 
			 Stocken 167,419 59,766   1,021,630 
			 Swaleside 829,617 647,964 369,455  5,442,611 
			 Thorn Cross   546,717  3,469,846 
			 Wayland 94,966  1,253,897  2,782,083 
			 Whitemoor 1,005,0844,235,224 
			 Woodhill  352,945   967,962 
			 Grand total 14,194,548 6,097,557 14,764,579 5,298,358 87,822,600

Young Offenders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children were held in prison in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) sex,  (b) age of first admission and  (c) type of offence.

David Hanson: Figures showing the number of under 18-year-old prisoners under immediate custodial sentence held in all prison establishments in England and Wales by gender and offence type between 1997 and 2006 can be found in the following table. Information on the age of prisoners at first admission is not available.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Under 18 population in prison establishments( 1 ) under an immediate custodial sentence by sex and offence group, England and Wales each year as at 30 June 
			  Number of persons  
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Under 18s   
			  Males and Females   
			
			  Immediate Custodial Sentence 1,673 1,689 1,710 1,860 1,976 2,088 1,781 1,763 1,835 1,865 
			 Violence against the person 231 241 267 288 358 363 320 341 389 391 
			 Sexual offences 40 47 48 59 52 58 42 55 65 68 
			 Robbery 443 475 425 409 439 522 456 456 438 503 
			 Burglary 452 434 454 468 391 405 290 248 289 282 
			 Theft and handling 181 202 219 310 325 319 299 277 233 192 
			 Fraud and forgery 0 4 6 6 5 5 2 7 11 11 
			 Drug offences(2) 49 51 49 57 79 71 
			 Motoring offences(2)  84 123 94 58 69 
			 Other offences 191 179 230 280 293 203 155 203 257 265 
			 Offence not recorded 135 107 61 39 64 78 44 27 18 13 
			
			
			  Males   
			  Immediate Custodial Sentence 1,620 1,627 1,643 1,791 1,911 1,986 1,724 1,706 1,780 1,814 
			 Violence against the person 213 230 250 264 339 336 310 326 366 381 
			 Sexual offences 40 46 48 59 52 58 42 55 65 67 
			 Robbery 425 451 410 396 429 503 436 449 422 486 
			 Burglary 447 428 447 458 382 396 289 242 285 275 
			 Theft and handling 178 196 208 303 313 299 290 268 230 189 
			 Fraud and forgery 0 4 6 6 5 3 1 4 10 11 
			 Drug offences(2) 46 43 43 51 76 68 
			 Motoring offences(2)  84 122 92 58 69 
			 Other offences 182 168 215 268 284 191 149 194 252 258 
			 Offence not recorded 135 104 59 37 61 72 42 25 18 12 
			
			
			  Females   
			  Immediate Custodial Sentence 53 62 67 69 65 102 57 58 55 50 
			 Violence against the person 18 11 17 24 19 27 10 15 23 11 
			 Sexual offences 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Robbery 18 24 15 13 10 19 21 8 16 17 
			 Burglary 5 6 7 10 9 9 1 6 4 7 
			 Theft and handling 3 6 11 7 12 20 9 9 3 3 
			 Fraud and forgery 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 1 0 
			 Drug offences(2) 3 8 6 6 3 4 
			 Motoring offences(2)  0 1 2 0 0 
			 Other offences 9 11 15 12 9 12 6 9 5 8 
			 Offence not recorded 0 3 2 2 3 6 2 2 0 1 
			 (1) Excludes police cells. (2) Drug Offences from 1997 to 2000 and Motoring Offences from 1997 to 2001 are included in the Other Offences category.  Data Sources and Quality These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level. This table taken from table 8.21 in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2002-06 and table 3.3 Prison statistics in England and Wales 1997 - 2001

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Public Relations

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1040W, on departmental public relations, which public relations company was contracted for the  (a) digital switchover campaign and  (b) licensing campaign.

Margaret Hodge: The public relations company Harrison Cowley was used for the digital switchover campaign and the licensing campaign.

Departmental Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the  (a) special advisers and  (b) Ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to government buildings for security reasons.

Departmental Sick Leave

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For the 2006-07 financial year, the percentage of working days lost attributed to stress is 13 per cent. of total sickness absence.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for all employees and guidance is available for staff and managers on how to manage stress effectively.
	As part of our attendance, health and well being programme for staff we have a range of policies in place to reduce work related stress. These include: Stress Management policy and Sickness Absence policy, which includes guidance on making reasonable adjustments. We also offer a full range of flexible work patterns to support work-life balance and have health awareness pages on our intranet. We have appointed a DCMS board member as the Health and Well-Being Champion. In addition, staff have access to our Employee Assistance Programme (counselling service) and onsite gym with a programme of exercise and yoga available.

Film

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding is available for foreign film production companies to make films in the United Kingdom.

Margaret Hodge: The UK Government provide film tax relief for qualifying films. Foreign filmmakers working in partnership with British film companies may be eligible for such relief. In order to qualify, their films need either to pass the UK's cultural test or qualify as an official UK co-production. Films should be intended for theatrical release, meet a minimum UK spend requirement of 25 per cent. and be made by a film production company within the UK corporation tax net.
	In addition, the UK Film Council provides national lottery funding for film development and production projects; approximately 19 million per year is available. Foreign filmmakers can access this funding by collaborating with companies that are registered and centrally managed in the UK or in another member state of the European Union or European economic area. The provision to allow companies registered in other states of the European Union or European economic area is to ensure compatibility with the general legality principles of the treaty on European Union (the Maastricht treaty).

Film

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many British and foreign film company collaborations have taken place in the last 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: Between 1997 and 2007, 631 films made either with foreign finance or under the arrangements for official co-productions have been produced in the UK.
	There may have been additional collaborations outside the framework for official co-productions. The Government do not maintain central records of such collaborations.

Film

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many British and foreign film company collaborations have taken place in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: Between January and December 2007, 54 films made either with foreign finance or under the arrangements for official co-productions have been produced in the UK.
	There may have been additional collaborations outside the framework for official co-productions. The Government do not maintain central records of such collaborations.

Film

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many collaborations there have been between British and Indian film companies in the last 10 years.

Margaret Hodge: We are finalising a treaty to allow for official co-productions between UK and Indian film companies. We are expecting to see up to 10 UK-Indian co-productions made within the first two years. We estimate that this will result in expenditure in the UK of approximately 88 million and in Indian spend of approximately 62 million.

Honours

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently has three members of the senior civil service who have received an honour.

National Lottery: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in grants from Lottery funds to organisations in Tamworth in each of the last five years, expressed  (a) in cash terms and  (b) as a percentage of the Staffordshire total.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The total value of grants awarded in the local authority area of Tamworth in each of the last five complete financial years, and as a percentage of the Staffordshire total, is set out in the table.
	The information is location specific. That is, the figures include only grants that are specific to a location in the region and exclude grants that might have gone to addresses in the region, but are not otherwise related to it.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total value of grants awarded in Tamworth ()  Staffordshire total ()  Tamworth total as a percentage of Staffordshire total 
			 2006-07 58,017 6,353,181 0.91 
			 2005-06 525,530 8,468,002 6.21 
			 2004-05 36,882 9,966,699 0.37 
			 2003-04 545,206 23,363,864 2.33 
			 2002-03 703,320 14,219,555 4.95 
		
	
	The Department's Lottery Grants Database is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Playing Fields: Planning Permission

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1044, on planning permission: playing fields, how many applications were  (a) approved,  (b) rejected and  (c) withdrawn; and what percentage of those approved were considered to represent a significant change to sporting provision, broken down by region since 2001.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested, broken down at a regional level, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, a table showing the total number of planning applications nationally on playing fields on which Sport England were consulted for all years since 2001 broken down by numbers  (a) approved,  (b) rejected or withdrawn and  (c) yet to be decided is given as follows. Many of these applications are from clubs/schools wanting to improve the quality of their sports facilities.
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Approved 695 807 959 910 
			 Rejected or withdrawn 161 148 122 177 
			 Yet to be decided 129 342 332 184 
			 Total 985 1,297 1,413 1,271

Regional Arts Councils: Disclosure of Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the dissemination of information to the public by regional arts councils.

Margaret Hodge: It is a long standing, fundamental principle that the Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government, which ensures that decisions about the arts are taken by people in the Arts Council whose job it is to develop and support the arts, and not by Ministers. The Arts Council is committed to a policy of openness and transparency and makes information available to the public on a routine basis. Among others, this can include Council minutes, advice and guidance on funding programmes and research reports. The Arts Council's publication scheme gives details of what information is publicly available and can be found on their website:
	www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications/publication_detail.php?sid=1id=413
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications/publication_detail.php?sid=1id=413

Sports: Capital Investment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much capital has been allocated to evening sports clubs for young people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Funding is allocated by DCMS for Capital Projects throughout England, but no records are kept by DCMS or Funding Distributors (NDPBs) on what purpose building projects that benefit from this funding are used for. It is therefore not possible to provide an answer to this question.

Sports: Capital Investment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much capital has been allocated to sport in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following tables show how much capital Exchequer and lottery funding DCMS has allocated to sport in the requested categories:
	
		
			  (a) Jarrow 
			  Financial year  Total ( million) 
			 2001-02 0.287 
			 2002-03 0.000 
			 2003-04 0.017 
			 2004-05 0.040 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) South Tyneside 
			  Financial year  Total ( million) 
			 1997-98 0.023 
			 2000-01 0.311 
			 2001-02 0.000 
			 2002-03 2.416 
			 2003-04 2.234 
			 2004-05 0.500 
			 2005-06 0.037 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) The North East 
			  Financial year  Total ( million) 
			 1997-98 18.973 
			 1998-99 15.631 
			 1999-2000 7.053 
			 2000-01 5.999 
			 2001-02 30.571 
			 2002-03 10.083 
			 2003-04 3.977 
			 2004-05 7.386 
			 2005-06 1.834 
			 2006-07 2.242 
			 2007-08 1.325 
		
	
	
		
			  ( d )  England 
			  Financial year  Total ( million) 
			 1997-98 189.225 
			 1998-99 303.335 
			 1999-2000 130.687 
			 2000-01 163.554 
			 2001-02 325.503 
			 2002-03 155.048 
			 2003-04 103.728 
			 2004-05 73.257 
			 2005-06 32.050 
			 2006-07 33.363 
			 2007-08 6.295 
		
	
	Figures given prior to 2001-02 are lottery only as Sport England advises that it is not possible to provide the requested information for Exchequer funding back to 1997. This is because they changed their budget management software at the start of 2001-02 and they do not have information before that date readily available.

Sports: Drugs

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward measures to assist the governing bodies of UK sports in excluding participants who have been found guilty of the illicit use of performance-enhancing drugs from selection to represent their country in international or representative competitions; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Code is the international framework of anti-doping rules, setting out the minimum sanctions applicable to those found guilty of breaching them. A key aim of the code is the harmonisation of anti-doping rules across countries and sports.
	However, the Code does not restrict sport's national or international federations from applying further sanctions to athletes found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation, should they choose to do so.

Stonehenge: Conservation

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals English Heritage has made for future provision for the protection of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Stonehenge World Heritage Site is currently protected through existing designations and planning systems. Changes proposed by my Department in the Heritage White Paper in March 2007 will improve protection through inclusion of World Heritage Sites in the new unified register and through improvements to the planning system. English Heritage is currently facilitating a revision of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan being undertaken by all key stakeholders. This will review policies for the practical protection and management of the World Heritage Site and is due to be completed and sent to UNESCO by January 2009. My Department has also asked English Heritage to lead the project for environmental improvements (including new visitor facilities) at Stonehenge in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Stonehenge: Conservation

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library a copy of his report to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the future of Stonehenge; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I am placing a copy of the 2008 Reactive Monitoring Report for the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site in the Libraries of both Houses. The Report was sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on 30 January 2008.

Tourism: Balance of Payments

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the balance of payments was for the tourism industry in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The tourism balance of payments deficit was as follows:
	
		
			   Amount ( billion) 
			 1997 4.8 
			 1998 6.8 
			 1999 9.5 
			 2000 11.4 
			 2001 14.0 
			 2002 15.2 
			 2003 16.7 
			 2004 17.3 
			 2005 18.1 
			 2006 18.4 
		
	
	The latest Office of National Statistics figures, released on 15 February, show that the deficit was down by 120 million in the three months to December 2007, compared to the same period in 2006.

Tourism: North East

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average spend per head per day of domestic tourists visiting the North East in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The table shows the average expenditure per trip and per night for domestic overnight trips to the North East region for the latest five years.
	
		
			  North East: average expenditure( 1)  of domestic overnight tourists ( 2) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Average spend per trip(3) 181 172 180 177 159 
			 Average spend per night(3) 65 62 66 61 57 
			 (1) Expenditure includes items such as package holidays, accommodation, travel to and from the destination and during the trip, services and advice, buying clothes, eating and drinking out, shopping, entertainment and other items relating to the trip. (2) The methodology for the UKTS changed in 2005 meaning that comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution. This change occurred as a result of concerns with the quality of 2004 data, which is thought to be an under-representation of the true position. (3) Figures are rounded.  Source:  UK Tourism Survey (National Tourist Boards) 
		
	
	Also, average expenditure during tourism day visits made to, or within, the North East was 25.40 in 2002-03 (source: Leisure Day Visits Survey). It is not possible to provide a time series for this information as the surveys are run intermittently and on a non-consistent basis; therefore, this is our best estimate for this period.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ACTIS

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) investment positions and  (b) subsequent disposals have been made by Actis since 2004; and what the (i) original investment and (ii) sale proceeds were in each case.

Douglas Alexander: Actis manages funds not only for Government (through CDC) but also for other private equity investors. Details of Actis' investments and sale proceeds are commercially confidential. However, key targets within its 2004-08 business plan are on target to be met or exceeded. This has enabled substantial re-investment to be undertaken by CDC. Additional information on CDC's investments is included in its annual report and accounts.

Africa: HIV Infection

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent reports he has received of commitments made by African governments to support HIV prevention efforts; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Many African countries have made specific commitments on HIV prevention that are articulated in their National AIDS plans. For example, the new South African National Strategic Plan (2007-11) for HIV and AIDS identifies HIV prevention as one of its four priorities. The plan includes the following targets: 80 per cent. on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) by 2011; 50 per cent. reduction of new HIV infections by 2011; 70 per cent. of the adult population to be tested; and a target to reduce mother to child transmission to 5 per cent.
	Regionally, African Union (AU) member states have made key commitments to scale up evidence based HIV prevention services. For example, African Union Health Ministers unanimously agreed the Maputo Plan of Action in September 2006, which included commitments to achieve better family planning, improved contraceptive commodity security and action to reduce unsafe abortion.

Bangladesh: Overseas Aid

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department is providing for humanitarian programmes in Bangladesh.

Gareth Thomas: The total UK aid to Bangladesh proposed to be spent in 2007-08 is just over 116 million. This includes just over 10 million of funding for emergency assistance to meet the humanitarian needs of people affected by the floods and by Cyclone Sidr in 2007.

Chad: Overseas Aid

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN about the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for aid into Abeche in Chad to enable aid agencies to respond to the humanitarian need.

Gillian Merron: We have been in continuous contact with the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with the World Food Programme United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (WFP UNHAS) and with other partners in Abeche and N'Djamena about the situation in eastern Chad. We recognise that this air bridge is of critical importance in maintaining ongoing support to existing refugee, IDP and host population caseload.
	Over the last week, WFP UNHAS has established a regular service linking Yaounde (Cameroon) to Abeche, and is now looking at the possibility of re-establishing the N'Djamena-Abeche air link.

Departmental Expenditure

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding from his Department has been channelled through UK-based, non-governmental organisations in each of the last five years through  (a) Programme Partnership Agreements,  (b) country budgets,  (c) humanitarian central budgets,  (d) other budget lines and  (e) in total; and how much funding in each category is to be made available in 2007-08.

Gareth Thomas: Total DFID expenditure channelled through UK Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in each of the last five years and planned expenditure for 2007-08 through the Civil Society Challenge Fund and Partnership Programme Agreements are set out in the following table. The table also includes planned funding in respect of the Development Awareness Fund and the Strategic Grant Agreement for 2007-08.
	DFID also provides ad hoc funding to agencies and CSOs working in country or at a regional level responding to specific emergencies. DFID's Conflict, Humanitarian and Security Department (CHASE) estimates that in 2007-08 8 million was spent on humanitarian relief across a range of natural disasters, from an earthquake in Peru to cyclones and floods in Bangladesh, India, Mexico, North Korea and Pakistan, to winter shelter for extreme winter conditions in Kyrgyzstan. Of this, 5 million was provided through NGOs.
	There is no central allocation of funding through CSOs for humanitarian assistance projects or other parts of the DFID programme.
	Multilaterals also allocate funding to CSOsamong these are the European Commission, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Because multilaterals do not report the proportion of their expenditure allocated to CSOs, DFID is unable to attribute multilateral expenditure to CSOs.
	
		
			  DFID expenditure through UK CSO's for 2002-03 to 2006-07 and planned expenditure for 2007-08 
			  000 
			   Total  Civil Society Challenge Fund  Partnership Programme Agreement  Humanitarian Assistance  Country and other DFID programme 
			 2002-03(1) 222,845 13,056 57,227 93,822 58,739 
			 2003-04(1) 220,321 10,355 59,000 86,689 64,277 
			 2004-05(1) 232,930 10,106 65,263 91,187 66,374 
			 2005-06(1) 260,952 13,260 81,650 95,254 70,788 
			 2006-07(1) 274,309 13,539 89,141 85,423 86,207 
			 2007-08(2)  14,280 90,191  (3)4,200 
			 (1) Actual (2) Planned (3) Includes Development Awareness fund and the Strategic Grant Agreement only 
		
	
	Final expenditure figures for 2007-08 will not be available until after the end of the fiscal year.

Departmental Film

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of funding the promotional film on ethical consumerism in connection with Valentine's Day.

Douglas Alexander: The cost of producing the video was 8,500. The purpose of the video was to inform people's shopping decisions in advance of Valentine's Day, and to raise awareness of how ethical shopping can reduce poverty in developing countries. It ran on the DFID website, YouTube and one other commercial site for two days before Valentine's Day.

Development Aid

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support inclusive and equitable development strategies that increase investment in pro-poor sectors.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government support developing country governments to ensure that increased investment and growth is included appropriately in their overall poverty reduction strategies (PRSs). This is a key component of the new public service agreement (PSA) 29 on poverty reduction. Our involvement and support will be both through our bilateral programme and through our influence on other development agencies.
	There are a range of sectors which can bring high benefits for the poor-for example, agriculture. DFID's policy paper 'Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture' sets out the various ways in which DFID is supporting inclusive and equitable development strategies. This is available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Pubs/files/growth-poverty-agriculture.pdf.

Female Genital Mutilation

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent research has been commissioned by his Department on the subject of female genital mutilation; and what steps his Department has taken to  (a) raise international awareness of this issue and  (b) dispel culturally-entrenched myths surrounding the practice; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The UK Government provided 5.5 million to the United Nations (UN) Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproductive Health (HRP) between 2005 and 2008. HRP supports research in the area of Female Genital Mutilation.
	DFID strongly supports efforts to eliminate FGM and other harmful traditional practices as part of our sexual and reproductive health, maternal health and gender equality strategies. DFID has supported advocacy events globally and in Africa-for example funding events in 28 African countries and Geneva to mark International FGM Zero Tolerance Day on 6 February 2007; and supporting an Africa Regional workshop on child protection and FGM in Kenya in 2006 and an African Parliamentarians Conference on FGM in 2005. DFID is a member of the Donor Working Group on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) that brings together key actors at the international level, and which held a panel at the Women Deliver Conference in October 2007.

Health

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms to engage civil society in the international health partnership have been established.

Gillian Merron: The UK is committed to ensuring that civil society organisations (CSO) are involved in the International Health Partnership (IMP). CSOs are not only a critical partner in delivering health services in many developing countries, but they can also play an important role in holding partners to account at the global and country level.
	The UK has engaged with CSO partners both before and after the launch of the IMP. In October, DFID hosted a meeting in London with several CSOs. Since then the eight health agencies (H8) leading on the IHP have regularly consulted with CSOs and they are currently developing a strategy for ongoing CSO engagement. A key meeting called by the H8 to review progress in developing country compacts will be held in Lusaka later this month, and several CSOs will be attending.

Kenya: Surveys

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of the survey commissioned by his Department on conditions for workers on Kenyan flower farms; and if he will publish the results of the survey.

Douglas Alexander: DFID funded the Natural Resources Institute to undertake a project assessing the social impact of the adoption of codes of practice. This looked at the impact on the welfare and livelihoods of workers, worker households and other local stakeholders of the introduction of codes of practice in the Kenyan cut flower industry and the wine industry in South Africa.
	The total cost of the project was 247,999, of which 124,916 was for the Kenyan portion of the research. The final report on the Kenyan flower industry was published in February 2006.
	The report can be accessed with the following link:
	http://www.nri.org/NRET/final_ Kenya_ main_ report.pdf

Mineral Waters

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on mineral water in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has recently changed its restaurant service provider, and detailed records are not available. However, we estimate that DFID has spent in the region of 10,500 per annum over the last three years. Bottled water was provided for some official meetings in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money. Since January 2008, however, we no longer purchase bottled mineral water, but instead use bottled filtered mains water that is prepared on site. This change was made on the grounds of economy and environmental benefits.

Natural Disasters

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources his Department has provided for disaster risk reduction strategies in countries prone to disasters.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's current financial management system does not record total resources spent on disaster risk reduction (DRR) centrally, because DRR programmes can be included under a range of types of assistance, from education (for example DRR education in schools) to infrastructure (for example earthquake-proof building).
	However, DFID has a commitment to allocate approximately 10 per cent. of the funding it provides in response to each natural disaster to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters, where this can be done effectively. Under this commitment, DFID has pledged 7.5 million following the Indian Ocean Tsunami; 5.5 million following the Pakistan earthquake and 500,000 following the Yogyakarta (Indonesia) earthquake. Other examples of support for DRR at country level include: 50 million for the Chars (river islands) Livelihoods Project in Bangladesh which aims to increase livelihood security for 6.5 million vulnerable people in flood-prone districts; 3.8 million to an insurance fund to provide Caribbean Governments with fast payouts after natural disasters; and 2.9 million for a consortium of NGOs in Niger to help communities prevent food security crises.
	DFID also provides funds for multilateral and regional organisations working on DRR. We have provided: 3 million for the United Nations international strategy for disaster risk reduction; 4.38 million for the World Bank's global facility for disaster risk reduction; 2.5 million for the ProVention Consortium; 2.15 million for the International Federation of the Red Cross; 3.3 million for the Pan American Health Organisation for DRR programmes; as well as some resources through its 7 million annual contribution to the United Nations Development Programme's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR).

Natural Disasters: Children

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that development strategies in countries prone to disasters include measures for managing and mitigating the impacts of disasters on children.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is committed to supporting international and national efforts to prevent and mitigate the effects of natural disasters in poorer disaster-prone countries. DFID is providing 3 million over three years (2006 to 2009) to the United Nations international strategy for disaster reduction (ISDR), which launched the global campaign Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School in 2006. The campaign promotes the 'disaster-proofing' of school buildings, inclusion of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in school curricula and the active role children can play in promoting DRR in their communities. Examples of activities include: a consultative meeting in Kenya on DRR for Education Ministry officials from 19 African countries. This inspired the Mozambican Ministry of Education and Culture, with the support of the Mozambique Red Cross Society, to implement DRR training in 76 schools, reaching 4,400 children.
	DFID also supports Action Aid's Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) through Schools project and Plan UK's Children and Young People at the Centre of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management project, for which DFID is providing 2.8 million and 2.9 million respectively over five years. In Bangladesh, Action Aid have funded an interactive learning kit for children on DRR, aimed at helping children learn about disaster risk and take action to reduce risk. In Sierra Leone, Plan UK is providing DRR training for 30 children's groups and 28 schools.

Somalia: Asylum

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Somali refugees he estimates are now in each neighbouring country; and what assistance his Department is providing to those refugees in each country.

Gillian Merron: UNHCR is the UN agency with principal responsibility for protecting and assisting refugees. The latest estimates from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for the number of Somali refugees resident in countries neighbouring Somalia are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Djibouti 8,642 
			 Ethiopia 19,572 
			 Kenya 182,000 
		
	
	The UK provides its primary support to refugees through the UNHCR. In 2007 the UK was the sixth largest donor to UNHCR for its global operations with contributions amounting to $56.2 million. The European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is the second largest contributor to UNHCR. The UK provides 17.39 per cent. of ECHO'S funding. The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), also provides assistance to UNHCR for refugee assistance in these countries. DFID has provided 14.8 per cent. of funding available in the CERF in 2008 to date.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of parents with care whose entitlement to child support has been altered as a result of the 6 April 2006 changes allowing increased pension contributions to be deducted from income assessed for child support; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: No such estimate has been made. However, maintenance arrangements in force before 6 April 2006 will have changed only if the Child Support Agency has been notified of a relevant change of circumstances by either parent.
	None of the organisations representing parents has raised these concerns with the agency, and the matter has not been the subject of any complaint the agency has received. Therefore very little evidence exists to suggest that non-resident parents are exploiting the current rules on pension contributions in a way which unreasonably reduces their child support liability. If such a case were to arise, the Child Support Agency is able to adjust liabilities in specified exceptional circumstances where the usual rules may not operate fairly. For example, in either child support scheme, it is possible to adjust the child support liability where the net income of the non-resident parent used in the calculation is inconsistent with their lifestyle. In such cases, this action will be considered by the agency following an application by the parent with care.

Child Support Agency: Private Sector

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the results of outsourcing of Child Support Agency work, with particular regard to  (a) response times and  (b) quality of work delivered.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 21 February 2008:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the results of outsourcing of Child Support Agency work with particular regard to  (a) response times and  (b) quality of work delivered.
	As part of the Operational Improvement Plan, the Agency contracted out some of its enforcement work to private debt collection agencies, Eversheds LLP and iQor, and the management of our clerical case load to Vertex Data Science Ltd.
	Although the Agency has contracted out the maintenance of its clerical cases to Vertex Data Science Ltd, the performance targets set by the Secretary of State apply to all Child Support cases, regardless of whether they are clerical or not.
	In addition, the Agency's Client Service Standards apply to cases maintained by Vertex Data Science Ltd.
	Formal monthly governance arrangements are in place to measure and discuss Vertex performance against these targets and standards. Weekly meetings between Vertex and Agency operational managers also take place to track performance.
	The number of cases that need to be processed clerically is larger than was initially expected. Consequently, in order to ensure we maintain a good standard of service to our clients, we returned some of the cases being handled by Vertex to our other centres. This process began in July 2007 and was completed in September 2007.
	The Agency now retains responsibility for clerical cases until the first payment stage, including processing some cases previously passed to Vertex (CSA Bolton) which were awaiting initial assessment and payment scheduling. Thereafter, these cases will be sent to CSA Bolton to ensure on-going maintenance compliance.
	These changes have allowed Vertex to focus on case maintenance, keeping more money flowing to more children, and have resulted in an improvement in the service offered to clients.
	The forthcoming upgrade to the CS2 computer system will result in a significant reduction in the number of cases that need to be processed clerically. The process will be re-assessed at that point.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Computer Software

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the source code copies of core application software used by his Department and its agencies and supplied by third parties are held in escrow.

Stephen Timms: The Department assesses the need to put any of its core application software source code into escrow on a case by case basis. Where appropriate, the Department will then enter into an escrow agreement for the relevant code to be placed with the escrow agent.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1547W, on departmental cost effectiveness, what the administrative cost to his Department was of paying benefits into bank accounts in each of the last 10 years; and how many and what proportion of benefits claims were paid directly into bank accounts in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows  (a) the number of benefit accounts paid into a bank or building society account and  (b) the proportion of benefit accounts paid into a bank or building society account in each of the last five years.
	Phasing out order books and paying the vast majority of customers by direct payment will save the taxpayer around 1 billion between 2005 and 2010.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Administrative cost of paying into a bank account ( million) 1.2 2.8 4.1 4.4 (1)4.2 
			 Number of benefits accounts paid into a bank account(2 )(million) 8.4 12.3 14.9 15.3 15.8 
			 Proportion of benefit accounts paid into a bank account(2 )(percentage) 44.2 62 74.6 76.1 78 
			 (1) Includes forecast for final quarter of financial year. (2) Figures have been provided by DWP Information Directorate and are based on snap shot as at October of that year. 
		
	
	Figures refer to the number of benefit accounts live and in payment on the specified date, and not the number of benefit claims, customers, or POCA accounts. People in receipt of more than one benefit/pension are counted for each separate benefit/pension in payment. People who have their benefit/pension combined and paid at the same time are only counted through the paying benefit

Departmental Data Protection

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what obligations his Department and its agencies place on contractors in relation to the audit of personal data and IT equipment.

Anne McGuire: Contracts awarded by the Department include standard terms and conditions which place obligations on contractors in relation to confidentiality of information, security of equipment and auditing requirements. These clauses specify that:
	contractors must have prior written consent from the Department before disclosing any confidential information obtained during or arising from the contract; and
	the Department and the National Audit Office have unrestricted access to their accounts, files and records; and
	the Official Secrets Acts and, when appropriate, the Social Security Administration Act, apply to those contractors.
	Where contractors handle personal data, the Department has built in additional data protection clauses, which require the contractor to comply with the Data Protection Act.

Departmental Vehicles

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vehicles were  (a) owned and  (b) purchased by his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Anne McGuire: Prior to 6 August 2007, all vehicles used by DWP were owned by the Department. Since then the Department has leased all its vehicles. Consequently no vehicles have been purchased since 2006-07 financial year.
	Information on purchases prior to April 2003 is not held centrally. The number of vehicles purchased between April 2003 to April 2007 is provided as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 390 
			 2004-05 448 
			 2005-06 315 
			 2006-07 402

Departmental Visits Abroad

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas visits by officials in his Department took place in each of the last 10 years; which countries were visited; and how much was spent on such visits in each such year.

Anne McGuire: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of new claimants on the new employment and support allowance are expected to claim  (a) the employment portion and  (b) the support portion when the new allowance is introduced;
	(2)  when the Government plans to announce the level of the new employment and support allowance; and what preliminary work his Department has carried out on the level of that allowance.

Anne McGuire: We are projecting a total of 567,000 new claims for 2008-09 as a whole. From October 2008 new customers will claim Employment and Support Allowance. Prior to that date incapacity benefit and income support will be available. These benefits will also be available after October 2008 to those protected by the linking rules.
	The most severely disabled people claiming Employment and Support Allowance will be placed in the Support Group and will receive a higher rate of benefit. Early estimates are that around 10 per cent. of new customers to ESA will be in the Support Group. Over time, as proportionately more people in the work-related activity group leave the benefit, the proportion will rise to around 20 per cent. of the longer term ESA caseload.
	We will be laying the main ESA regulations in the coming weeks and they will include the rates of the benefit. Analysis has been undertaken and an appropriate rate for ESA will be set in order to meet our aspirations for welfare reform.

Equality: Public Sector

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the guidance notes produced on procurement and race, disability and gender public sector equality duties published respectively by the Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Barbara Follett: I am placing copies of the following publications in the Library:
	The duty to promote race equality: Race Equality and Procurement in Local Government: A guide for (local) authorities and contractors (CRE)
	The duty to promote race equality: Public Procurement and Race Equality: Guidelines for local government (CRE)
	The duty to promote race equality: Race Equality and Public Procurement: A guide for public authorities and contractors (CRE)
	The duty to promote race equality: Public Procurement and Race Equality: Guidelines for public authorities (CRE)
	Public procurement and race equality: Briefing for suppliers (CBI and CRE)
	Procurement and the Disability Equality Duty: Implications of the Disability Equality Duty for Public Procurement and the Management of Public Sector Contracts (DRC)
	Guidance for Great Britain: Procurement: Gender equality duty (EOC)

Health and Safety Executive: Expenditure

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by  (a) the Health and Safety Executive and  (b) the Health and Safety Commission in each year since 2005-06; and how much is expected to be spent in 2008-09.

Anne McGuire: The following table sets out the amount spent by Health and Safety Commission/Executive for the period requested. The forecast expenditure for 2008-09 will be available once the Health and Safety Commission/Executive agrees its spending review 2007 settlement with the Department for Work and Pensions.
	
		
			  000 
			  Financial year  Health and Safety Executive  Health and Safety Commission  Total HSC/E 
			 2005-06(1) 238,157 848 239,005 
			 2006-07 232,846 890 233,736 
			 2007-08(2) 215,022 830 215,852 
			 2008-09 n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1) The 2005-06 outturn has been restated to reflect the transfer of responsibility for rail regulation from HSE to the Office of Rail Regulation on 1 April 2006. (2) The 2007-08 figures are the latest forecast used to inform the Spring Supplementary Estimate.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the expenditure by each London local authority on discretionary housing payments was in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Total discretionary housing payments spend by London local authority 
			  000 
			  Local authority  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking 10 19 58 40 114 
			 Barnet 165 195 179 226 215 
			 Bexley 37 31 50 48 68 
			 Brent 143 143 234 206 253 
			 Bromley 5 36 63 81 71 
			 Camden 170 147 122 138 141 
			 City of London 0 0 0 1 3 
			 Croydon 111 154 157 160 171 
			 Ealing 210 185 204 259 243 
			 Enfield 45 127 129 170 154 
			 Greenwich 185 185 378 373 323 
			 Hackney 41 36 120 79 134 
			 Hammersmith 99 117 110 117 132 
			 Haringey 63 120 198 219 333 
			 Harrow 59 67 104 83 102 
			 Havering 63 43 43 51 53 
			 Hillingdon 93 110 122 112 97 
			 Hounslow 72 78 46 40 77 
			 Islington 28 22 57 78 104 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 63 81 213 121 163 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 25 38 51 51 48 
			 Lambeth 69 124 125 146 132 
			 Lewisham 114 137 138 144 98 
			 Merton 56 78 109 108 76 
			 Newham 113 113 0 175 238 
			 Redbridge 143 122 83 68 88 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 92 90 92 106 102 
			 Southwark 122 120 133 111 110 
			 Sutton 34 39 70 56 48 
			 Tower Hamlets 111 113 142 157 93 
			 Waltham Forest 109 86 141 89 179 
			 Wandsworth 88 75 87 47 77 
			 Westminster 160 154 172 176 186 
			 London total 2,900 3,200 3,900 4,000 4,400 
			  Note: 1. Amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand 2. The total is rounded to the nearest 100 thousand 3. The latest available audited expenditure information for discretionary housing payments is for the financial year 2006-07.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities in London did not spend the whole of their discretionary housing payments budget in 2006-07.

James Plaskitt: The London local authorities that did not spend the whole of their discretionary housing payment allocation for 2006-07 are:
	Camden
	Harrow
	Havering
	Hillingdon
	Kensington and Chelsea
	Kingston-upon-Thames
	Lambeth
	Lewisham
	Merton
	Newham
	Red bridge
	Richmond-upon-Thames
	Southwark
	Sutton
	Tower Hamlets
	Wandsworth
	Westminster

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households received discretionary housing payments in each London local authority area in 2005-06.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety: Standards

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets the Health and Safety Executive set for reducing  (a) the incidence of injury,  (b) the incidence of ill health,  (c) the incidence of working days lost and  (d) the numbers of recorded major hazard precursor incidences in each year since 1997, broken down by region; and whether these targets were met in each year.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Commission set three targets to reduce the incidence rates of work-related fatal and major injury, ill health and working days lost as part of its 'Revitalising Health and Safety' strategy launched in 2000. This was the first time HSC/E had set national targets of this sort. These were not annual targets, but cover a 10-year period to 2009-10, using 1999 to 2000 as the baseline year, and sought reductions of:
	work-related fatal and major injury10 per cent. reduction from the baseline;
	work-related ill health20 per cent. reduction from the baseline; and
	work-related days lost30 per cent. reduction from the baseline.
	HSE's current PSA targets (2005-06 to 2007-08, using 2004-05 as a baseline) are designed to contribute to these longer term targetsaiming for a 3 per cent. reduction in work-related fatal and major injuries, 6 per cent. reduction in work-related ill health and 9 per cent. reduction in work-related days lost over the life of the PSA. The following table shows the official published statistics for each year from 1999 to 2000 to 2006-07 against the PSA target for comparison purposes.
	HSE has only had formal targets relating to major hazard for the current PSA period (2005-06 to 2007-08). The table shows the major hazards targets for 2007-08 and progress towards them.
	All HSE's targets cover Great Britain as a whole; although regional statistics are published, the targets, and progress towards them, are not broken down regionally or locally.
	
		
			  Improving health and safety outcomes in Great Britain through control of risks in the workplace 
			PSA 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Q3  2008-08( 3)  2007-08  (target) 
			  Occupational health and safety   
			 Fatal and major injuries (per 100,000 workers) 117.3 111.1 111.7 111.8 121.1 (4)118.6 111.1 (5)107.7 (6) 115.0 
			 Incidence of work-related ill health (per 100,000 workers)(1)   2,187  1,959 (4)1,846 1,642 2,094 (6) 1,735 
			 Days lost due to work-related illness and injury (per worker)(1)  1.76 (2000-02)  1.68 (4)1.53 1.31 1.55 (6) 1.39 
			
			  Major hazards   
			 Number events reported by licence holders, which HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate judges as having the potential to challenge a nuclear safety system  192 (4)143 126 110 127 118 126 74 132 
			 Number major and significant hydrocarbon releases in the offshore oil and gas sector 139 125 (4)113 85 97 83 73 73 (5)57 62 
			 Number reportable dangerous occurrences in the onshore sector/RIDDOR(2) 177 137 (4)179 155 154 130 124 105 (5)75 152 
			 (1) Statistics are subject to a 95 per cent. confidence interval. (2) Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. (3) New major hazards data (post-APR07). Latest available for APR was Q2. (4) Baseline years. (5) provisional outturn. (6) Next statistics due November 2008.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants in Peterborough constituency had been claiming for  (a) more than three months,  (b) more than six months,  (c) more than nine months and  (d) more than 12 months, including any period for which a person may have been on the New Deal but returned to jobseeker's allowance immediately afterwards, at the most recent date for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The additional information on spells on the New Deal is not available except at disproportionate costs. Following is a table showing information on continuous spells of claimant unemployment. We are collecting information on repeat spells on benefit which we will place in the Library in the new year.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's  allowance claimants by continuous duration of claim, Peterborough: November 2007 
			  Duration of claim  Number of claimants 
			 0 to less than 3 months 870 
			 3 to less than 6 months 360 
			 6 to less than 9 months 180 
			 9 to less than 12 months 150 
			 12 months and over 270 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Figures are based on computer held cases only.  Source:  NOMIS

Now Let's Talk Money

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the Now let's talk money programme.

Anne McGuire: HM Treasury allocated 5.4 million to the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver the Now let's talk money campaign.
	During 2006-07 and 2007-08 4.9 million will have been spent on a range of activities to increase awareness among excluded consumers of the availability of suitable financial services; awareness raised via intermediary organisations and direct marketing. This includes 0.5 million through a special projects fund, with a balance of 0.5 million spent on the same during 2008-09.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the future demand for Health and Safety Executive inspectors of nuclear facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates in current circumstances that around 230 full-time equivalent nuclear safety inspectors will be required at the peak of its programme of nuclear regulatory work. That estimate takes account of expanding work for HSE on assessing three designs for new reactors, an understanding of programmes for Ministry of Defence nuclear facilities, and Government plans for nuclear decommissioning. The figure excludes inspectors of other disciplines employed by HSE who are also involved in regulating nuclear facilities in other areas.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspectors of nuclear facilities were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 2004, broken down by region.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive has employed the following number of nuclear safety inspectors within its Nuclear Directorate (ND) since 2004:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 162 
			 2005-06 161 
			 2006-07 157 
			 2007-08 (as at 14 February 2008) 155 
		
	
	Except for two inspectors based in HSE's London Office all nuclear safety inspectors operate from HSE's headquarters in Bootle, Merseyside and are not located in regions.

Pensioners: Income

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual income was of the average pensioner household in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Information cannot be provided at a lower level than Government office region, averaged over three years. Information that is available is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Average net annual income before housing costs for all pensioner units, in real terms 
			   per week, 2005-06 prices 
			   North East  Great Britain  United Kingdom 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 10,600 12,300 n/a 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 10,800 12,800 n/a 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 11,300 13,300 n/a 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 12,100 13,800 n/a 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 12,600 14,200 n/a 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 13,100 14,500 n/a 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 13,200 14,900 14,900 
			  Notes: 1. Net income before housing costs is gross income less income tax payments, national insurance contributions, contributions to occupational and private pension schemes, local taxes, maintenance and child support payments, and parental contributions to children living away from home. Gross income is from all sources received by the pensioner unit, including income from social security benefits, earnings from employment, any private pension, and tax credits. 2. Based on survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non sampling error. 3. Figures are based on the average of three years' data for government office regions as single year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Great Britain and United Kingdom figures (where available) are included on the same basis for comparison: further information for single years at a national level are available in the publication Pensioners' Income Series 2005-06 (Revised). 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 5. Pensioner units are either pensioner couples or single pensioners. 6. Pensioner couples are couples where one or more of the adults are state pension age or over.  Source: Pensioners' Income Series 2005-06 (Revised)

Pensions: Edinburgh

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of  (a) the state pension and  (b) pension credit in (i) Edinburgh East, (ii) Edinburgh North and Leith, (iii) Edinburgh South, (iv) Edinburgh South West and (v) Edinburgh West parliamentary constituencies in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  State pension individual recipients  Pension credit household recipients 
			 Edinburgh East 14,180 4,550 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 13,460 3,600 
			 Edinburgh South 14,520 2,810 
			 Edinburgh South West 14,510 3,330 
			 Edinburgh West 18,770 3,360 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as at May 2007 and are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Poverty

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the south-west and  (c) England who live below the poverty level.

Stephen Timms: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in 'Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2005-06'. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	Available information is shown in the following table. Information below the level of Government office region is not available.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of individuals in the south-west and England living in households with below 60 per cent. of median income based on three year averages, 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			  Geographical area  Number of individuals, before housing costs (million)  Proportion of individuals (percentage)  Number of individuals, after housing costs (million)  Proportion of individuals (percentage) 
			 South-west 0.7 15 0.9 19 
			 England 8.4 17 10.5 21 
			  Notes: 1. Three survey year averages are given for the south-west and England, as robust single year estimates cannot be produced because of the sample sizes for individual regions. 2. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 3. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors. 4. Tables show numbers in millions rounded to the nearest 100,000.

Social Security Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the administrative cost is to his Department of paying benefits claims by means other than post office card accounts and bank accounts; and how many and what proportion of benefit claims are paid in this way.

James Plaskitt: The total cost of paying benefit claims by cheque is currently around 1.79 per transaction. This is made up of various components including stationery, postage and costs incurred by the Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank plc. Around 300,000 (less than 2 per cent.) of customers are paid solely by cheque. The vast majority (98 per cent.) are paid by Direct Payment into an account.

Social Security Benefits: Foreigners

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from  (a) Cyprus,  (b) the Czech Republic,  (c) Estonia,  (d) Hungary,  (e) Latvia,  (f) Lithuania,  (g) Malta,  (h) Poland,  (i) Slovakia and  (j) Slovenia claimed benefits for the first time in each month since 1 May 2004.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
	No information is available for Cypriot and Maltese nationals; people from these countries are not subject to the same labour market restrictions as the A8 nationals.
	Limited information on the number of applications, by A8 nationals, for income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and pension credit is available in the Accession Monitoring Report; May 2004 to September 2007, a joint online report by the Border and Immigration Agency, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and Department for Communities and Local Government; copies of which have been placed in the Library.
	The report is available online at:
	www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/Reports/accession_monitoring_report/

Social Security Benefits: Post Office Card Account

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the administrative cost to his Department of paying benefits into Post Office card accounts was in each year since April 2003; and how many and what proportion of benefits claims were paid into Post Office card accounts in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: The following table shows  (a) the cost of paying benefits into Post Office card accounts,  (b) the number of benefit accounts paid into a POCA, and  (c) the proportion of benefit accounts paid into a POCA, and for each year since the Post Office card account was introduced in April 2003.
	
		
			  Financial year  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Cost of paying benefits into POCA ( million) 76 138 159 152 (1)148 
			 Number of benefits accounts paid into a POca(2) (million) 0.04 1.95 4.5 4.36 4.15 
			 Proportion of benefit accounts paid into a POca(2) (percentage) 0.2 10 23 22 20 
			 (1) Includes forecast for final quarter of financial year. (2) Figures have been provided by DWP Information Directorate and are based on snap shot as at October of that year.  Note: Figures refer to the number of benefit accounts live and in payment on the specified date, and not the number of benefit claims, customers, or POCA accounts. People in receipt of more than one benefit/pension are counted for each separate benefit/pension in payment. People who have their benefit/pension combined and paid at the same time are only counted through the paying benefit. The figures shown for 2003 and 2004 reflect the fact that customers were gradually being migrated from order books during this period.

State Retirement Pensions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the north-east and  (d) the UK have received the basic state pension in each of the last 30 years.

Mike O'Brien: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers in receipt of any basic state pension 
			   Jarrow parliamentary constituency  South Tyneside local authority  North-east Government office region  GB 
			 2007 16,700 30,500 490,100 10,659,900 
			 2006 16,600 30,300 482,700 10,513,800 
			 2005 16,100 30,000 478,500 10,450,300 
			 2004 15,900 29,900 473,500 10,313,500 
			 2003 15,700 29,700 471,100 10,225,900 
			 2002 15,800 30,000 470,900 10,149,300 
			 2001 15,300 29,600 469,700 10,087,200 
			 2000 15,500 29,900 468,400 10,035,100 
			 19999,938,800 
			 19989,839,400 
			 19979,700,400 
			 19969,575,400 
			 19959,469,300 
			  Notes: 1. Data are taken from 5 per cent. extract of Pensions Strategy Computer System. Therefore, figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Figures are based on the live caseload as at March each year where any basic state pension is in payment. 4. Geographical breakdowns by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Government office region are not available prior to September 1999 5. Electronic data is only held from 1995 therefore basic state pension cases cannot be separately identified prior to this.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and WPLS 100 per cent. data.

Sunbeds: Young People

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the levels of use of  (a) sunbed salons and  (b) unsupervised sunbed salons by under 18-year-olds since 1990.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive has made no such assessments. There is a commitment in the Government's Cancer Reform Strategy that the Department of Health will gather more information about the number and distribution of sunbeds and the scale of sunbed use by minors.